Friday's historic return of William Barret Travis' "victory or death" letter to the Alamo is seen by some as a rebirth for the state shrine - a new way to remember the Alamo.

What it could mean is more signage and better displays, storytelling and narration holistic approaches to the site's evolution from a Spanish mission to 1836 battle site and U.S. Army depot and reverence befitting a Native American burial ground.

Despite being celebrated in movies and books as a symbol of freedom, where nearly 200 rebels died as martyrs for independence, many visitors have found the Alamo lacking as a historic site. Recorded visitation at the state-owned complex has fallen by at least 15 percent, to 1.6 million visitors annually.

In an online review, Frommer's lists the Alamo among its "100 Places to take your Kids," but warns, "expect the kids to be let down at first." The review says the Alamo "looks downright dinky, set smack in the heart of downtown San Antonio."

Frommer's then gives a shorthand version of history.

"But the whole point of the Alamo is that it was such a tiny fort, and the valiant Texan volunteers never had a ghost of a chance of escaping the Mexican army's siege - and still they fought, they fought to the death. That's heroism, Texas style," the review states.

Last stand challenged

Alamo lore has become so ingrained to those who grew up hearing the tales that some bristle when one questions whether Davy Crockett really wore a hat made of raccoon skin, or if Travis actually drew a line in the dirt with his sword.

But as researchers have tested legends against historic fact, even the portrayal of the predawn assault of March 6, 1836, as a courageous last stand has been challenged. In recent years, based on witness accounts, historians have concluded that at least 60, and possibly more than 100, fled the fort amid the chaos and darkness.

Visitors often don't know that much of the Alamo's history occurred in the city-owned plaza, not in the park behind the church. Gary Foreman, a filmmaker producing a documentary on the Travis letter, said the plaza's uninviting pavement, traffic and amusement storefronts keep visitors from entering "a portal of time."

Mark Loeffler, spokesman for the Texas General Land Office, said the Travis letter exhibition reflects his agency's commitment to "the kind of attention that needs to be paid to the Alamo, and to Texas history."

Valerie Hyatt Martin, a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, sees that commitment as a step forward. She's disappointed that the spot where Travis contemplated his situation and wrote his moving text has long been used commercially, for years as a Woolworth's/Burger King complex, and now as the site of Ripley's Haunted Adventure.