Historical Markers in Bexar County
Texas·210 places·Page 1 of 9
History
"Battle" of Adams Hill
Near this site, an early armed confrontation of the Civil War ended without bloodshed. On February 16, 1861 in San Antonio, General David E. Twiggs, commander of the U.S. Army Department of Texas, surrendered all federal military property in the state to forces under command of Ben McCulloch.
History
"Kelly No. 2" Flight Line
In November 1916, Maj. Benjamin Foulois of the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army's Signal Corps chose a tract of land approximately three-fourths of a mile to the southeast of this spot to serve as a flying field for the Army Aviation Corps. In 1917, the site was named Camp Kelly and later Kelly Field in honor of Lt. George E.M.
History
250th Anniversary of the Founding of San Antonio
Area was first explored and named by Spaniards in 1691. Colonial settlement began here May 1-5, 1718, with founding of Franciscan Missions San Antonio De Valero (later known as "The Alamo"). In Vicinity of the mission was the presidio San Antonio De Bexar, named for one of the great heroes of Spain, the Duc De Bexar, brother of the Viceroy of New Spain.
History
Acequia de Arriba
In the late 1700s, residents of the Villa de San Fernando petitioned the King of Spain for permission to furrow an acequia (irrigation ditch) to water the land for the growing population. After years of opposition from the San Antonio de Valero missionaries, the king upheld the viewpoint of the townspeople.
History
Acequia Madre de Valero (Main Irrigation Ditch of Valero Mission)
(Main Irrigation Ditch of Valero Mission) One in a network of ditches begun by the Spanish and their Indian charges at the founding of San Antonio in 1718. Hand-dug and made of dressed limestone, the acequia diverted water from San Antonio River through fields belonging to San Antonio de Valero Mission. Irrigation was the key to the growth of mission and town.
History
Adina de Zavala
As the granddaughter of Lorenzo de Zavala (1789-1836), first vice-president of the Republic of Texas, young Adina de Zavala was exposed to vivid accounts of Texas' Revolutionary and Republican past. She became a guiding force in the preservation of many of Texas' most revered historic structures and sites, including the Alamo, Mission San Francisco de Los Tejas in East Texas, and San Antonio's…
History
Adina Emilia de Zavala
Teacher, historian and preservationist Adina Emilia De Zavala was born in Harris County, Texas, on November 28, 1861. She was the daughter of Augustine and Julia Tyrrell De Zavala, and the granddaughter of Lorenzo De Zavala, first Vice-President of the Republic of Texas. Adina spent her early years in Galveston, before moving with her family to a ranch near San Antonio circa 1873.
History
Alamo Cenotaph
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 immortality that their high sacrifice might lead to the founding of this Texas."
History
Alamo Iron Works
George Edward Holmgreen (1822-1899) migrated from his native Prussia to this country with his wife Bertha. From Florida, he made his way in the early 1870s to San Antonio. Holmgreen soon became the owner of Schuhle and Nixon Alamo Iron Works. The company made iron and brass castings and forged wrought iron railings and other parts needed in the early days of this frontier town.
History
Alamo Low Barracks and Main Gateway
Mission San Antonio de Valero, established nearby in 1718, was relocated here in 1724. By 1762, the Mission Plaza was enclosed by thick stone and adobe walls. The 11 x 14-foot main gateway was located at this site along the south wall.
History
Alamo Masonic Cemetery
Chartered in 1848, Alamo Lodge Number 44, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, purchased this property in 1853-54 out of concern for the need of a burial ground for fellow Masons. The oldest remaining marked grave is that of S. Fredericca Hummel (1829-1854), a native of Germany who came to San Antonio in 1847. The first Masonic burial was for Missourian Charles Taplin, who died in 1855.
History
Alamo Portland and Roman Cement Company
Near this site in 1879, Englishman William Loyd discovered a blue argillaceous limestone believed to be a natural cement rock. Analysis by San Antonio druggist and chemist George H. Kalteyer confirmed the rock contained proper proportions of lime and clay to produce portland cement.
History
Alejo de la Encarnacion Perez
(March 23, 1835 - October 10, 1918) Alejo de la Encarnacio Perez, infant son of Maria Juana Navarro Perez, was the youngest known survivor of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. From 1861 to 1864 Alejo served in the Confederate Army. After the Civil War he served the city of San Antonio in a number of offices, including those of police officer and city marshal.
History
Alexander and Alma Oppenheimer Halff House
Built in 1904, this was the home of merchant, banker, rancher and civic leader Alexander Hart Halff and Alma (Oppenheimer) Halff, both members of prominent local families. This imposing residence was designed by C.A. Coughlin and Atlee B. Ayres and merges late 19th century architectural elements with early 20th century modernism. Features of the house include a pressed metal roof and boxed eaves.
History
Alfred Giles Home
Alfred Giles is remembered as a major architect who designed many edifices throughout Texas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1853 in Hillingdon, Middlesex County, England, Giles spent his early days as an architect's apprentice in London. For health reasons, he moved to Texas in 1873 and worked with contractor John H. Kampmann.
History
Anna Barbara and Johann Engelbert Heidgen House
Anna Barbara (Heiman) (1828-1913) and Johann Engelbert (1821-1915) Heidgen (also Heitgen) came from Prussia to San Antonio in 1852. They bought property at this site, which at the time was on the eastern edge of the Irish Flats neighborhood. Their first house was a one-story caliche structure that faced Elm Street.
History
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Cemetery
In December 1854, Polish settlers began arriving in eastern Bexar County from their homeland in Upper Silesia. The early community of fewer than 20 families was called Martinez. In 1857, residents built a mission log church on the land of Ludwig Zaiontz (0.4 mi. W). Adjacent to the church, which was served by traveling priests, the local settlers established a cemetery.
History
Anton Wulff House
After migrating to Texas from his native Germany in 1848, Anton Wulff (1822-1884) became a prosperous San Antonio merchant. He served as a City Alderman and as the first City Park Commissioner. He built this Italianate style home in 1869-1870 for his wife Maria (1834-1908) and their 11 children.
History
Aqueduct
Built by the Franciscan friars in 1731, the stone aqueduct was used to carry the water from the San Antonio River to irrigate the lands in the vicinity of Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The aqueduct is still in an excellent state of preservation and still in use after more than 200 years.
Military
Arsenal Magazine
At the urging of United States Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, land was secured at San Antonio in 1858 for an arsenal. In 1859, the State of Texas added 16 acres, and the arsenal became headquarters for the U.S. Army's department of Texas. Under construction when the Civil War (1861-65) began, this magazine was included in Federal property surrendered in 1861.
History
Barbed Wire
At first called "Devil's Rope" by cowboys, barbed wire was patented in 1873 but found little favor with Texas cattlemen until the late 1870s, when its use and practicality were shown in a sensational demonstration here in San Antonio. Its showman-sponsor was John Ware Gates (1855-1911), who came here as agent for a pioneer wire manufacturer.
History
Barbed Wire Demonstration
Once called "bobwire" by cowboys, barbed wire was a French invention first patented in the U.S. in 1867, but it did not gain favor with cattlemen until the late 1870s. Joseph Glidden of Dekalb, Illinois, Received a patent for his barbed wire in 1874, and it was wire of his manufacture that was the first barbed wire fencing successfully demonstrated in Texas.
Military
Battle of the Alazan
Fought in this vicinity June 20, 1813. One in chain of clashes between Spanish Royalists and insurgent elements in Coahuila and Texas, 1811-1813. Col. Ygnacio Elizondo was ordered to lead his Spanish Royalists force to Frio River -- but no further.
Industry & Science
Belgian Transit of Venus Observation Site
The year 1639 marked the first recorded observation of Venus crossing the sun. Sir Edmund Halley (1656-1742) later predicted that using data from such crossings, known as transits, scientists could precisely quantify the astronomical unit of distance and measure the size of the solar system. The transits of Venus predicatably come in pairs, eight years apart, approximately every 120 years.
Architecture
Belknap Place
This street, located in the Monte Vista historic district of San Antonio, is the oldest existing concrete pavement in Texas and a significant civil engineering achievement. At the turn of the 20th century, the U.S. was urbanizing and new, more durable roads were needed for the increased number of motorized vehicles. In 1891, the first concrete street was placed in the U.S. in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
Elsewhere in Texas
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