British rocker Phil Collins brought his extensive Alamo collection home on Tuesday morning.
Some pieces were last at the famous mission 178 years ago, when the Alamo fell to the Mexican army during the Texas war to become an independent republic.
Collins began his fascination with the Alamo as a young child watching Fess Parker play Davy Crockett on TV. When he was 9, the movie The Alamo starring John Wayne came out and he was hooked.
Collins owns the most most extensive privately held collection of Alamo memorabilia, that includes Davy Crockett’s musket ball pouch and one of the few surviving Jim Bowie knives.
While the collection arrived at the Alamo on Tuesday, it will not be on full display until the state can raise almost $100 million for a new museum and visitor center to properly display the items.
“I’m really happy that it’s going here. It’s where it should be,” Collins said.