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O'Doole's Emporium
by Miss Temperance Black
Denizens of O'Doole's
O’Doole’s Emporium, the finest Tavern of the Frontier, exists on the fringes of the 7th Regiment US. Living History Association, to separate the Soldier from his wages as pleasurably as possible.
You might run across O’Doole’s Emporium if you are fortunate enough to be one of the Soldiers of the 7th Reg., Company A, under the command of Major Steve Abolt. The Emporium can usually be found a slight distance from camp, along with other businesses which supply the Soldier.
The artillerymen of Duncan’s Battery, horsemen of the Dragoons, and laundresses working for the U.S. Army may be found there.
If you are a visitor to the 7th, you might see O’Doole’s in the 1830 ’s, during the Texas Revolution, as colonists fought for Liberty against General Santa Anna. Or, you might find O’Doole’s during the 1840’s, when the 7th defended Texas in the Mexican War.
Thomas O’Doole himself presides at the Emporium. You will have no difficulty identifying him, as he informs all visitors that he has the distinction of being Thomas O’Doole, himself. A son of the Emerald Isle, Mr. O’Doole entertains with liquid refreshment, stories and perhaps even a scrap of a tune on the jaw harp, to accompany me—I’m the singer and banjo player at O’Doole’s Emporium.
O Doole, himself
I came West as a Missionary to the Cherokee, teaching young ladies a bit of poetry, song, fine and plain sewing, and other skills for civilized women. There are few jobs for ladies, and it was an adventure to visit the Cherokee Nation, where few white folk are permitted. There I met Thomas O’Doole, who admired the many Irish songs I learned from my Mother’s family. Mr. O’Doole hired me to sing in his Emporium, where I play a primitive banjo—a sort of an Irish drum with a neck and gut strings added, made for me by a plantation carpenter.
Miss Black, at Brownsville, Texas.
Mr. O’Doole employs Miss Tula, a half-Cherokee, to help sell drink to the soldiers. I have tried to be a civilizing influence upon Miss Tula, but she will wear no more than two or three layers of clothing, far from enough for a woman of the 1800’s.
Mr. Duke Petree washed ashore from a steamboat wreck a few years ago, and was hired to help at Mr. O’Doole’s.
Mr. Gary Albright also assists in the Emporium, when he is not busy as a sketch artist for the Eastern newspapers seeking coverage of the War in Mexico.
Soldiers visiting O’Doole’s Emporium may drink from pewter cups, eat roasted peanuts from wooden bowls,and enjoy the prints and paintings of the 1800’s which Mr. O’Doole has displayed in his business. Some say Mr. O’Doole himself shot the wild boar whose head is displayed in the Emporium—others say he simply talked it to death. Mr. O’Doole offers some tables of popular gaming of the day, for those who still have a dollar left to wager.
Mr. O’Doole sets up his tavern as the varied conditions of war and campaign allows.
We were housed in an adobe brick house in San Antonio de Bexar in February and March, 1836. The Heroes of the Alamo enjoyed their last night of Freedom at O’Doole’s before the tragic Siege.
At Fort Parker, Mr. O’Doole set up the Emporium in a one-room log cabin outside the walls of Fort—but not close enough for me, as the Comanche had been raiding nearby.
When President Polk ordered U.S. troops to the banks of the Rio Grande to defend Texas, Mr. O’Doole’s raised his Emporium in a large canvas tent, suitable for moving with the Army on campaign. We watched the stirring moment as the 7th Regiment raised its garrison flag where Mexican forces across the river could see it— our defiance of Mexico, which had declared War on the United States when Texas joined the Union in 1845. Mr. O’Doole was there to give his own brand of pain-killer to the Soldiers after the battles when they insured that Texas would not be taken back into slavery by General Santa Anna.
At night, the singing and laughter from O’Doole’s Emporium rings across the plains of Texas, where canons have fired and bayonets clashed. All may join in the singing of Irish tavern songs, patriotic ballads and other favorites of the early 1800’s. We of O’Doole’s Emporium do our bit to support the 7th Infantry by offering our hospitality and entertainment to the soldiers of the 7th, their ladies, laundresses and friends. Please pay us a visit if you happen across the Emporium.
