Legend states that in 1836 Lt. Col. William Barret Travis unsheathed his sword and
drew a line on this ground before his battle-weary men stating: “Those prepared to
give their lives in Freedom’s cause, come over to me!” — — Map (db m123951) HM
Ludwig Mahncke was born in Mecklenburg-Strelitz (now Germany) in 1846. Mahncke married Katarina (Kemp) in 1871 and the couple had two daughters. The family left Germany and arrived in the United States in 1882, settling in San Antonio shortly after. . . . — — Map (db m65740) HM
Houston native Lydia Mendoza was one of the first and most famous singers of the Texas-Mexico border and Latin America. Her 1934 recording of "Mal Hombre” for Bluebird Records launched a decades-long career. Mendoza became famous for . . . — — Map (db m150255) HM
Spanish urban planners in the New World knew how to create a vibrant community: its two interconnected building blocks were a cathedral and a plaza.
This spatial structure compelled the citizens of New Spain to revolve around a civic center, . . . — — Map (db m118154) HM
During the Main Plaza renovation in 2007, archaeologists discovered remnants of a military fortification underneath this street. This entrenchment would have been part of San Antonio's defense against attacks during the turbulent revolutionary . . . — — Map (db m30214) HM
Constructed in 1928, at a cost of $3,000,000 this structure was designed by John Eberson for Karl Hoblitzelle, owner of the interstate theatre chain. Chiefly Spanish Colonial Revival in design, its eclectic features include paired columns supporting . . . — — Map (db m30605) HM
Artisans of Mexican Arts and Crafts, founded by San Antonio entrepreneur Ethel Wilson Harris in 1931, created this mural for Mayor Maury Maverick as a private work for a family home.
From 1939 to 1941, Harris also supervised the WPA Arts and . . . — — Map (db m119066) HM
Exact replica of pub in London's House of Lords. Theodore Roosevelt recruited "Rough Riders" here in 1898. Site of more cattle deals than any other place in Texas and San Antonio's oldest continuously operated saloon. — — Map (db m30556) HM
Early San Antonio boarding house keeper, Wm. Menger in 1859 opened fine stone hotel, the "new" Menger, beside Alamo Plaza. To host Indians, presidents, poets, actors, generals, singers, public of the world. Served venison, quail, mutton, beef, . . . — — Map (db m30597) HM
In recognition of its nurturing
atmosphere for
William Sidney Porter (O. Henry)
Theodore Roosevelt
Sidney Lanier
Oscar Wilde
January 14, 2000
———————
[Marker in the 1859 hotel lobby] . . . — — Map (db m31844) HM
William A. (1827-1871) and Mary Menger, both born in Germany, opened a boarding house and brewery at this site in 1855, when most local businesses were still clustered around Main Plaza and Military Plaza. The popularity of the boarding house led . . . — — Map (db m92750) HM
Mills were used to grind grain such as corn or wheat into meal or flour for use as food. The grain was poured into the hopper which funneled it through the eye in the top millstone. Water drove the waterwheel which turned the top millstone. The top . . . — — Map (db m30749) HM
On this spot early pioneers of San Antonio gathered in time of danger and also when they came to worship in the chapel of San Francisco de la Espada.
This lot was donated to the Archdiocese of San Antonio by the heirs of Josefa de la Garza . . . — — Map (db m132595) HM
"It is truthfully the best of the Americas, and not in the like of the others; nor in all the frontier does the King have an outpost better constructed and easier to defend..."
Fr. Juan Agustín de Morfi, 1777-78
Mission San José and its . . . — — Map (db m33997) HM
Spain, which ruled Mexico for 300 years ending in 1821, paid little attention to its northeastern frontier until French settlers built outposts near the Red River in Louisiana. The Spanish responded by establishing missions in East Texas in the . . . — — Map (db m119601) HM
Spain, which ruled Mexico for 300 years ending in 1821, paid little attention to its northeastern frontier until French settlers built outposts near the Red River in Louisiana. The Spanish responded by establishing missions in East Texas in the . . . — — Map (db m119618) HM
(Panel 1)
Born in Connecticut, October fourth 1761; moved to Philadelphia in 1783, thence to Virginia in 1785 and to Missouri in 1798.
Arrived in San Antonio on December 23, 1820.
Died in Missouri June tenth, 1821.
(Panel . . . — — Map (db m119803) HM
This plaque is placed
in memory of
Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Beyer
Founders of Casa Rio Mexican Restaurant
A true pioneer with the vision
to make our river a better and
more beautiful people's place,
Mr. Beyer opened the first
River . . . — — Map (db m30712) HM
This marker commemorates the 275th anniversary of the naming of the site that became the city of San Antonio.
On the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, June 13, 1691, Padre Damian Massanet, Franciscan missionary and Governor Don Domingo Teran, . . . — — Map (db m82890) HM
San Antonio's population tripled to 161,000 between 1900 and 1920. Commercial and residential development boomed, and automobiles and streetcars clogged narrow thoroughfares. Local leaders recognized the need to modernize the outdated infrastructure . . . — — Map (db m119597) HM
Born in San Antonio; descendant of Frenchman who settled in Mexico before 1714. Always a civic leader, helped found first public school in San Antonio, 1812.
Went (1821) with Juan M. Veramendi to escort Austin Colony leaders to Bexar, and . . . — — Map (db m118112) HM
This site, from lower lands of Mission San Antonio de Valero, later part of the Vicente Amador Spanish Grant, was bought 1869 by merchant Russel C. Norton, who began building in 1876. House grew with additions of a second story, Victorian . . . — — Map (db m118892) HM
The river in the downtown area is kept at a constant level by floodgates located just below the Nueva Street Bridge. The gates open during heavy rains, allowing water to pass safely from the upper to the lower channel. When this occurs, other . . . — — Map (db m119028) HM
(top marker)
O. Henry House
Typical of the homes of early German settlers, this two-room dwelling was built by John Kush about 1855. It originally stood on south Presa Street. It was occupied in 1895-96 by William Sidney Porter, . . . — — Map (db m61240) HM
Excellent example of lavish Victorian architecture of late 1800s. Built in 1874 by German immigrant Edward Steves, founder of a family prominent in city financial and social circles.
Stuccoed limestone exterior walls are 13" thick. The . . . — — Map (db m118860) HM
In a 2-story stone building, afterwards a hotel, Vance House.
Established as administrative offices for U.S. Army during the Mexican War, 1846-1847.
At this site on Feb. 16, 1861, Gen. David E. Twiggs surrendered $1,600,000 in Federal . . . — — Map (db m132554) HM
This structure was built to house the San Antonio National Bank, organized by George W. Brackenridge and others in 1866 as the first federally chartered banking institution in the city. Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz, a New York architect, designed the building . . . — — Map (db m30346) HM
Established in 1852 in frontier San Antonio by 4 members of the Society of Mary: Brothers Andrew Edel, John Baptist Laignoux, Nicholas Koenig, and Xavier Mauclerc - all natives of France.
Construction of this building began in fall, 1852, and . . . — — Map (db m132557) HM
Opening at this site in 1898 as "St. Philip's Saturday evening sewing class for black girls", this college was found by the Rt. Rev. James Steptoe Johnston (1843-1924), Episcopal Bishop of western Texas, who considered education a tool toward . . . — — Map (db m82879) HM
This sculpture symbolizes the first Mass celebrated in San Antonio on June 13, 1691. The day before, the first Spanish expedition to march across Texas to the Louisiana border reached a stream the Indians called Yanaguana -- “Place of Restful . . . — — Map (db m30861) HM
Here 56 Texans gathered in home of Samuel A. Maverick, Sept. 11, 1842, to defend city in surprise attack of 1800 Mexicans under Gen. Adrian Woll. Maverick and 52 others were captured and marched to Perote in southern Mexico. On March 30, 1843, . . . — — Map (db m118096) HM
One of oldest permanently settled locales in Texas, this area was first explored by Spaniards in 1691. The Presidio (Fort) of Bexar was relocated here in 1772 and for many years, Plaza was enclosed on three sides by adobe fortifications. . . . — — Map (db m118117) HM
Spanish missionaries, soldiers, and families who settled San Antonio in the 1700s relied on the San Antonio River and irrigation ditches (acequias) to provide water for household and agricultural use. One of the earliest ditches, the Pajalache . . . — — Map (db m128817) HM
One of the largest demonstrations of its kind ever witnessed in Southwest Texas took place in the area surrounding San Fernando Cathedral Wednesday night. An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 Roman Catholics from 140 parishes in the 32-county San Antonio . . . — — Map (db m30345) HM
The remains of the Alamo Heroes
are entombed in the chapel at the
left-hand side of the entrance to
this cathedral
Visitors Welcome — — Map (db m30343) HM
The isolated Spanish outpost established a short distance northwest of here in 1718 was soon relocated to a more protected area between the river and San Pedro Creek in today's center city. The mission and its religious community were placed east of . . . — — Map (db m119599) HM
No one knows why this intricate carving is now called "the Rose Window." Possibly dedicated to Saint Rose, its baroque beauty is entangled in many San Antonio legends that whisper of its mystery.
The artistry lavished on the church wall . . . — — Map (db m34069) HM
The main thoroughfare of early Texas, the Camino Real, or "King's Highway", followed ancient Indian and buffalo trail. It stretched 1,000 miles from Mexico to present Louisiana. Domingo Teran de los Rios, first Governor of Texas, blazed the central . . . — — Map (db m130099) HM
This is the ruins of the habitations of the friars and Indians; refrectory, kitchen and other regular offices. In the second patio there was a gallery with weaving rooms and rooms for storing materials and utensils.
The habitations of the . . . — — Map (db m30742) HM
Established on what was a part of the Alamo lands, Saint Mark's Espicopal Church traces its history to Trinity Church, a mission established in 1850 and disbanded in 1858. Saint Mark's church was organized in 1858 with the Rev. Lucius H. Jones as . . . — — Map (db m132556) HM
Erected in 1886 as the post's first permanent hospital this building provided seventy beds for the sick and wounded. Removing the casualties from the unhealthy riverside location of the temporary hospital in the city, which was a proven spawning . . . — — Map (db m75662) HM
A native of South Carolina; came to San Antonio in 1835; was guide for Ben Mailam and other leaders in first attack on San Antonio by Texas Army, Dec. 1835. As Bexar Delegate, Maverick signed Texas declaration of Independence at . . . — — Map (db m30608) HM
The exclusive Casino Club was organized in 1854 by San Antonio Germans. In 1881 the San Antonio Club was established for literary purposes. The institutions merged in 1925 to form San Antonio Casino Club. This building, completed in 1927 with its . . . — — Map (db m30603) HM
The missions of San Antonio were far more than just churches, they were communities. Each was a fortified village, with its own church, farm, and ranch. Here, Franciscan friars gathered native peoples, converted them to Catholicism, taught them to . . . — — Map (db m33990) HM
Organized Nov. 1862, by act of Texas Legislature, incorporated 1863. Had store at this site. Its $44,000 capital included $8,000 subscribed by the city for its needy and for families of Confederates away in the Civil War. Aim of group was to keep . . . — — Map (db m30210) HM
On this site are the springs used by the inhabitants of the ancient Indian village and later by Mission San Antonio de Valero and its adjoining pueblo. — — Map (db m30555) HM
Most cities have a river:
San Antonio has a river walk.
The San Antonio river has been an important resource since long before the arrival of the Spanish when the area was home to Native Americans. The first mission, San Antonio de Valero, . . . — — Map (db m30602) HM
On May 13, 1907, the San Antonio Section of the National Council of Jewish Women was organized in the Menger Hotel. Anna Hertzberg was elected president by the 15 charter members. The council immediately became active in the development of social . . . — — Map (db m30595) HM
To commemorate
the two hundredth anniversary of
the laying of the corner stone
of
San Fernando Cathedral
First place of worship for Texans. Built
through the generosity and zeal of the
Canary Islanders, founders of San Antonio . . . — — Map (db m30333) HM
Designed by prominent San Antonio architect Alfred Giles, this home was built in 1881 for Alexander Sartor, Jr. A native of Germany, Sartor came to San Antonio in the mid-nineteenth century and established a jewelry business. After he sold the . . . — — Map (db m118886) HM
Scottish Rite Masonry in San Antonio dates to 1912, when a charter was granted by the sovereign grand inspector general of Texas. The organization grew slowly until World War I, when many soldiers stationed in San Antonio became members. This site . . . — — Map (db m30609) HM
Erected on this site in 1734 for prominent Bexar citizens Geronimo and Javiera Cantu de la Garza, the de la Garza family home was designed by Geronimo's brother-in-law Pedro Flores Valdez. The complex occupied an entire city block and was crafted . . . — — Map (db m118527) HM
Trained as a millwright in his native Germany, Carl H. Guenther (1826-1902) started his San Antonio operation in 1859 at the site of the present Pioneer Flour Mills. In 1868 he built another dam and mill upstream at this location. Because it was . . . — — Map (db m118542) HM
After the Texas War for Independence, numerous immigrants, notably from Ireland, Germany, and the Eastern United States, arrived in San Antonio. The need to minister to these non-Hispanic Catholics prompted the Rt. Rev. John M. Odin, first Bishop of . . . — — Map (db m132558) HM
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the resolution of issues associated with education of newly freed slaves influenced the nature of Southern education well into the 20th century. The federal government established the Bureau of Refugees, . . . — — Map (db m118163) HM
Following the Civil War and the Emancipation of American slaves, the Federal Government established the Freedman's Bureau to oversee programs aimed at educating and assisting blacks with their newly-granted citizenship. One of the most visible of . . . — — Map (db m118166) HM
A former Texas Ranger and Confederate soldier, Thomas C. Frost (1833-1903) began a wool commission business as part of his mercantile enterprise in the 1870s. He purchased wool from producers throughout the state and stored it in warehouses on this . . . — — Map (db m130097) HM
Ferdinand Ludwig Von Herff (1820-1912) was the son of Christian and Eleanora (Von Meusebach) Herff, prominent citizens of Darmstadt, Germany. The younger Von Herff studied in Giessen, Bonn and Berlin, graduating with a medical degree in 1843. He . . . — — Map (db m30554) HM
First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio.
Built by Rev. John McCollough (1805-1870). Used by all Protestant faiths. Plastered rock construction. — — Map (db m61238) HM
Originally housed at the Alamo, the arsenal was established at this location in 1858. The facility initially included an office building, magazine, and commander’s quarters. A portion of the San Pedro Acequia (ca. 1730) carried water across the . . . — — Map (db m118552) HM
The first ribbons of steel which brought the spark-spewing wood-burning locomotives to San Antonio in 1877, opened a new era of development.
A modern counterpart to the romantic diamond stackers of yesteryear, Southern Pacific Locomotive No. . . . — — Map (db m30112) HM
The Texas A&M University-San Antonio Campus was built on land that once was conveyed by Spanish and Mexican land grants and traversed by several branches of El Camino Real de Tierra Afuera del Oriente (also known as El Camino Real de los Tejas . . . — — Map (db m98241) HM
Has been designated a
Registered National
Historic Landmark
Under the provisions of the
Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935
This site possesses exceptional value
in commemorating or illustrating
the history . . . — — Map (db m118123) HM
When these buildings were built, Texas was part of the Spanish colony of New Spain. The buildings were part of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, established by Franciscan missionaries in order to convert the Native Americans living in the vicinity . . . — — Map (db m30774) HM
San Antonio is named for the Catholic saint, Anthony (San Antonio) of Padua. Born in Portugal in 1195, he joined the Franciscan order and became a celebrated teacher of scripture. Anthony was declared a saint in 1232, less than a year after his . . . — — Map (db m119600) HM
St. Joseph's Church was erected by the German speaking Catholics of San Antonio. The corner stone is dated May 8, 1866 and was laid on November 9, 1868. The church was dedicated by the Most Reverend C. M. Dubois in 1876. The first pastor of St. . . . — — Map (db m30604) HM
Many immigrants from both the United States and Europe were attracted to the Republic of Texas after it became independent from Mexico in 1836. Among the new Texans were missionaries of various faiths, including the French Catholic priest Jean . . . — — Map (db m118178) HM
St. Philip‘s College was begun in an adobe house just north of this building in 1898. Originally a parochial day school, it grew into a grammar and industrial school with a boarding department. This two-story brick building was constructed by the . . . — — Map (db m82898) HM
Designed by prominent Texas Architect James Riely Gordon (1864-1937), this structure was built in 1894 to house the successful carriage business of German immigrant August Frederick Staacke (d.1909). An excellent example of the architecture of a . . . — — Map (db m61239) HM
Built by
American Locomotive Company, 1916
Weight Engine and Tender, Loaded,
442,080 Pounds
Total Length, Engine and Tender,
80 Ft., 2-1/2 In.
Tractive Effort 53,630 Pounds
Used in Freight Service on Texas
and Louisiana Lines . . . — — Map (db m30102) HM
One of the finest remaining structures in San Antonio's late 19th-century commercial district, this building was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by James Riely Gordon (1864-1937) and was completed in 1891. Over the years the first . . . — — Map (db m30593) HM
U.S. Navy Submarines paid heavily for their success in World War II. A total of 374 officers and 3131 men are on board these 52 submarines still on "patrol"
We shall never forget that it was our submarines that held the lines against the enemy . . . — — Map (db m119140) HM WM
(monument text) (1833-1903) Educator Attorney Public Servant Soldier Merchant Banker (plaque text): Thomas Claiborne Frost (1833 – 1903)
Born in Jackson County, Alabama in 1833, T. C. Frost graduated from Irving College . . . — — Map (db m63694) HM WM
Thomas Claiborne Frost (1833-1903) came to Texas from Alabama in 1855 to teach at Austin College, Huntsville. Admitted to the Bar in 1856, he served as a Texas Ranger before setting up a law practice in Comanche County. He was a delegate to the . . . — — Map (db m30223) HM
This house appears on the 1873 city map and was probably built by José and Refugia Durán Tejada, who bought the land in 1855 from Concepción Ruiz. Ernest Hessler, who already owned the two houses to the west on Presa Street, bought the property in . . . — — Map (db m82911) HM
This site was the longtime home of KWEX-TV, a pioneering national and international broadcasting innovator.
Por un largo tiempo, este fue el hogar de KWEX-TV, un innovador y pionero de los medios televisivos a nivel nacional e . . . — — Map (db m128829) HM
In commemoration of the
150th Anniversary of Texas Independence
and in honor of the
Tennessee Volunteers
who gave their lives at the Alamo
on March 6, 1836
the Citizens of Tennessee
present this Tennessee Homecoming Tree and Plaque . . . — — Map (db m30775) HM
San Antonio's original water system, started in 1718, consisted of eight acequias or canals taking water from the San Antonio River and San Pedro Crek. These acequias extended 15 miles from the headwaters of the San Antonio River to the five . . . — — Map (db m30711) HM
This is the Long Barrack, the oldest building in San Antonio. It was built in 1724 as a convento or residence for priests and was originally part of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, now known as the Alamo. Since then it has been used as a . . . — — Map (db m30743) HM
The Alamo
Mission San Antonio de Valero - famed as The Alamo - founded 1718 by Spanish Missionaries. Secularized 1793. Garrison for Spanish Cavalry and Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras y Alamo. Between February 23 and March 6, 1836, . . . — — Map (db m156704) HM
In memory of the heroes who sacrificed
their lives at the Alamo, March 6, 1836,
in the defense of Texas.
“They chose never to surrender nor retreat.
These brave hearts, with flag still
proudly waving, perished in the flames
of . . . — — Map (db m30709) HM
Corrals for cattle and horses occupied this space during the famous 1836 Siege and Battle of the Alamo. Small fortifications provided cover for the Texans during the siege. The structures shown in the illustration are (left to right) the church, the . . . — — Map (db m30714) HM
The church of former Mission San Antonio de Valero had been converted into a powder magazine and artillery platform by the Mexican Army in the autumn of 1835 during the Siege of Béxar. Following the capture of the town in early December 1835, Texan . . . — — Map (db m30736) HM
The fortress known to history as “The Alamo” was originally built by the Spanish in the 18th Century. Named Mission San Antonio de Valero by Franciscan officials, the mission occupied this site from 1724 until it was closed in 1793. The . . . — — Map (db m30824) HM
One of the weakest points of the fortified former mission was an open space between the old church and the Low Barrack. During the Siege of Béxar, Mexican troops constructed a palisade, or double log-wall, to close the exposed area. The Texans . . . — — Map (db m30857) HM
Decisive in Texas history, was fought here, September 18, 1842. Col. Mathew Caldwell and Capt. John C. Hays, commanding a force of Texas volunteers, opposed the Mexican Army under General Adrian Woll that had captured San Antonio, and with the loss . . . — — Map (db m128119) HM
This courthouse occupies the south side of Main Plaza, formerly called "La Plaza de las Islas", as originally laid out by the Canary Islanders in 1731. As it was then, this plaza is the administrative and judicial heart of Bexar County.
This is . . . — — Map (db m61088) HM
This plaque was dedicated January 15, 1948, by Alamo Lodge No. 44 A.F.&A.M. commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the chartering of the lodge and honoring those pioneer masons of that era, who founded the lodge upon this site. — — Map (db m30781) HM
Earliest civilian colonists of San Antonio, this nucleus of pioneers from the Canary Islands formed the first organized civil government in Texas and founded the village of San Fernando de Bexar in 1731.
Following a sea and land voyage of over . . . — — Map (db m30194) HM
On site chosen July 2, 1731, for "government houses" by people of San Fernando de Bexar, including newly-arrived settlers from the Canary Islands. Structure, erected 1742, had to be rebuilt in 1779 by Don Jose Antonio Curbelo, alcalde of the Villa . . . — — Map (db m20332) HM
"The church...is a large, beautiful gallery of three vaults with a very pretty cupola...for its size and good taste, it could be the parish church of a great town."
Fr. Juan Agustín de Morfi, 1777-78
The church was central to the . . . — — Map (db m34077) HM
There is something in the nature of man that will not tolerate the unexplored. Always he finds his perimeter of ground too small, and restless stirrings prod his feet until he has gazed from every peak.
Following this elusive music hundreds of . . . — — Map (db m30215) HM
"From this roof one can hunt without risk, in comfort and with good success. I saw so many ducks, geese, and cranes in a nearby field that, as I said, they covered the ground, and so close to the house that it would be impossible to miss the . . . — — Map (db m34065) HM
Colonel Jeremiah Y. Dashiell, a physician who served as paymaster in the U.S.-Mexico War, bought this land on the San Antonio River in 1849. Dashiell was stationed in South Carolina in 1856, when he sent his wife and daughter money and instructions . . . — — Map (db m82892) HM
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