Almost 200 years after the legendary battle, a swath of artifacts from the Alamo are heading back home to San Antonio.
British rock star and self-confessed Battle of the Alamo aficionado Phil Collins donated a portion of his own personal collection of artifacts to the state of Texas on Tuesday. Collins flew all the way to San Antonio to deliver the prized pieces himself — which include Jim Bowie's knife and one of Davy Crockett's rifles.
Collins' Texas history obsession came to light two years ago following the publication of his book The Alamo and Beyond: A Collector's Journey. Before the book's release, his collection was a relatively private hobby stemming from when Collins first saw Disney's Davy Crockett movie as a child.
"There used to be just enough stuff to put around the house and not have it get in the way," Collins told CultureMap in 2012. "Suddenly, I was building display cases and now the basement is pretty much taken up with all of it."
The newly dubbed Collins Collection, which had slowly filled up part of his "modest home in Switzerland," will find its new home in the upcoming visitor's center planned for the Alamo.
Jim Bowie's knife and one of Davy Crockett's rifles were among the items Phil Collins donated to the Alamo from his personal collection.
