Downtown in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Ursuline Academy/Augusta Street Bridge
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
1. Ursuline Academy/Augusta Street Bridge Marker
San Antonians had few places to educate their children before 1851 when Catholic Bishop Jean Marie Odin recruited members of the Order of St. Ursula to start a school for girls on the river at the northern edge of town. The school grew quickly, and new buildings were added to the walled compound. Local children and boarding students from as far away as Mexico studied language, science, philosophy, and the arts. Surrounded by downtown development, the school remained at this riverside site until 1961 when it moved to a suburban location. Efforts by the San Antonio Conservation Society saved the historic campus from demolition in the 1960s. Preservation and restoration work was continued by the Southwest Craft Center, now known as the Southwest School of Art, which acquired the entire site by 1981. Today the historic campus continues as a center of learning for students of all ages.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Churches & Religion • Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.
Location. 29° 25.817′ N, 98° 29.543′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Downtown. Marker can be reached from Augusta Street north of Convent Street. Marker is located on the San Antonio
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Site of Rincon/Douglass School (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Ursuline Academy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Navarro Street Bridge (approx. 0.2 miles away); The San Antonio River (approx. 0.2 miles away); San Antonio High School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fallen Heroes of the Vietnam War (approx. 0.2 miles away); Travis Street Crossing (approx. 0.2 miles away); Saint Mark's Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.
Also see . . .
1. Ursuline Academy, San Antonio. Handbook of Texas website entry:
Seven Ursuline Sisters from New Orleans and Galveston, headed by Sister St. Marie Trouard, arrived in San Antonio on September 14, 1851, to start a girls' school at Bishop Jean M. Odin's request. On November 3 Ursuline Academy opened classes. It was then the second oldest school in Texas. The original convent, built in 1851 on the San Antonio River at Augusta Street, is believed to be the oldest surviving example of pisé de terre work in Texas and is attributed to architect Jules Poinsard. (Submitted on June 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Homer S. Thrall, Pictorial History of Texas, 1879
2. Marker detail: Ursuline Academy c1875
The Ursuline sisters lived and taught in a single building when they arrived in 1851. Additions were made to accommodate the school's growth. The complex is seen here in about 1875.
2. Ursuline Academy. City of Sanio Antinio historic Preservation website entry:
Following Texas’ independence from Mexico in 1836, the Catholic Church in the Republic began to wane, so efforts were initiated to revitalize Catholicism. Bishop Odin and Sisters from the Ursuline Order of New Orleans established an academy in Galveston in 1847 to provide education and religious instruction for young girls. In 1848, Bishop Odin purchased 10 acres of land in San Antonio and construction began to establish a second academy. The building was not yet completed in 1851, when Father Claude Dubuis brought seven Ursuline nuns with him to operate the San Antonio school, but Ursuline Academy managed to open with a few short months. (Submitted on June 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Lenticular Truss Bridges: A Peculiar Texas Heritage. Texas Historical Commission website entry
In the United States, lenticular trusses were almost exclusively built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Connecticut. Several of the Berlin Company’s bridges had decorative towers, including the Augusta Street Bridge in San Antonio. Although the company mostly did business in New England, they had one salesman in Texas. William Payson of Edna, Texas sold more than a dozen bridges for the Berlin Bridge Co., including several in San Antonio. Payson’s success was probably due
Photographed By Bird's Eye View of San Antonio Bexas Co. Texas 1886. Looking North East
3. Marker detail: Ursuline Academy, San Antonio - 1886
The Ursuline Academy, with its landmark clock tower, is depicted on this map drawn by Augustus Koch in 1886.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
4. Ursuline Academy/Augusta Street Bridge Marker (wide view; 1890 bridge in background)
Until a bridge was built on Augusta Street in 1866, students reached the school by crossing the river at Houston Street, several blocks to the south. The iron truss bridge in this picture was erected in 1890.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
5. Ursuline Academy/Augusta Street Bridge Marker (Southwest School of Art visible across river)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
6. Augusta Street Bridge, Bridge Tower, and Bridge Construction Plaque detail
Iron Bridge Co.
East Berlin
Conn.
Pat.Apl.16, 1878 & Apl.7, 1885.
Bryan Callaghan
Mayor
Paul Pretzer
City Eng’r.
1890
406
Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 318 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
