Highland students rebuild battle diorama

Dozens of Highland High School students and history teacher Glen Frakes have been working since October to build another detailed Battle of Palmito Ranch scene, this time for display in the Texas Civil War Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

The students' and teachers' hearts are still crushed after their original Civil War diorama was deemed inaccurate and changed dramatically by the museum director of the Texas Military Forces Museum at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas.

Museum director Jeff Hunt, who wrote a book on the battle, tore the diorama apart, "fixed" the soldiers and steamboat to what he believed was historically accurate and put the altered diorama back on display in July 2008. Hunt would not return the diorama so the students could fix it themselves, and has never been held accountable for his actions.

The battle was originally thought to be spelled "Palmetto" Ranch according to Hunt's book, but Texas historians confirmed that it should be spelled "Palmito," Frakes said.

The Texas Civil War Museum heard about the students' plight. After they were denied by the Camp Mabry museum to pay to move the diorama to the Fort Worth museum, a Civil War Times magazine columnist who has followed the story convinced Frakes to build another diorama of the same battle, said Cynthia Harriman, director of communication and education at the Fort Worth museum.

Frakes originally said he was retiring from diorama-making after overseeing 21 dioramas of American battles over his 35 years teaching history.

"We were very touched by what had happened to the students," Harriman said. "We looked at their work, and it was fabulous. Their price is great. It just seemed like the right thing."

The Texas Civil War Museum is paying the students $25,000 for materials and shipping. The diorama will be displayed next to a few Battle of Palmito Ranch items the museum already has.

"It will fit right in there perfectly," Harriman said. "Our museum is the largest Civil War museum west of the Mississippi River with about 25,000 visitors a year. I feel like this diorama will be seen by many more people. It's coming to a very good place."

About 200 Highland students and four teachers originally spent more than three years and more than 6,000 hours donating their time to paint, assemble and construct the detailed Battle of Palmito Ranch scene.

This time, five times the number of enthusiastic student volunteers, with most of their work after school, should complete the 5-foot-by-10-foot diorama by May, Frakes said.

They have already fully assembled and painted the 700 soldiers and 200 horses from the kits ordered from England and Australia. They are also building the terrain base made of wood and celluclay, a professionally made papier-mache.

"The kids have put their hearts and souls into it," said Frakes, a former Marine corporal during the Vietnam War. "I'm just very proud of these kids."

Kanoe Kahalewai, a Highland junior in Frakes' American history class, said she's helping to build the diorama because it was "unfair" what happened to the first one.

"It deserves to be redone," the 16-year-old said. "It's tedious, monotonous work, but it pays off after you see the finished product. The fact that it will be in a museum and cherished, it's kind of awesome."