Alamo in the early 1850s
State Archives Division--Texas State Library

Under the terms of annexation, Texas turned over the military installations of the former Republic to the federal government, including the Alamo, which the U.S. Army fitted with a new roof and used as a supply depot. The early 1850s view of army wagons around the former church has long been known. A newly discovered daguerreotype, however, was taken in 1849 and shows the building as it looked before the army renovation. It offers an important reminder that military contracts have always been vital to the state's economy.