Berg's Mill

Berg's Mill. . The San Antonio River Provided Early Settlers with water for their homes and fields and power for small mills that ground corn and other grains. The first known mill was built at Mission San José in the 1790s, and by the late 1800s, many others, including several in this area, lined the river from its headwaters to Mission Espada. A grist and saw mill built here in 1842 by Roderick Higginbotham and William Kerr was renovated in 1879 by Louis Ashley and later leased to Henry and Louis Berg. The small surrounding community became known as Berg's Mill. As the area prospered, residents who had once forded the river to reach homes, fields and roads on the opposite bank constructed bridges of wood and, later, iron. These structures were easily damaged or destroyed by periodic floods and in constant need of repair and rebuilding. A modern concrete and steel bridge, built in 1914 using Bexar County bond funds, also proved no match for flood waters. The span was damaged and repaired several times. Finally, during river channelization work in the 1960s, the bridge that stands today was built nearby and the old structure preserved for pedestrian use., Captions , Lower Left: The foundation of a grist and saw mill built here in 1842 by Higginbotham and Kerr was used by Louis Ashley in the construction of a new mill sometime after 1866 (above). , The dam that diverted river water into the millrace to power this facility and the later Berg brothers' mill is shown in a 1930s photograph (right). , Courtesy: Light Collection, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections , Courtesy: Lewis Fisher, San Antonio, Lower Right: Before a bridge was built in this area, farmers and visitors to the missions forded the river here at Berg's Mill. A small bridge was constructed across the millrace to provide access to the mill and the nearby river (left). A bridge erected across the river in the 1880s was replaced by a concrete structure in 1914. The bridge was damaged and repaired after floods in 1921 and 1946. When the river was rerouted in the 1960s, a new bridge was built and the old structure preserved. Seen here after the 1946 flood (right), the bridge was restored in 2013. , Courtesy: Light Collection, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections