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Von Ormy, Texas

Everything Von Ormy is known for

1 song mention this city 1 artist from here

RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through Von Ormy. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.

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Music in Von Ormy

Songs About Von Ormy

I-35
Max Stalling
7%
"I didn't pull off in Von Ormy, like I normally do"

Artists From Von Ormy

C
Cheyenne Saenz
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Von Ormy

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Von Ormy.

Interstate 35 45 songs US Route 90 9 songs Interstate 10 36 songs San Antonio River 2 songs Chisholm Trail 8 songs Frio River 13 songs

History of Von Ormy

The Bloodiest Battle in Texas RoadyGoat

Somewhere in the woods and fields around you lies the site of the Battle of Medina, the deadliest battle ever fought on Texas soil. In August 1813, a group of about 1,400 revolutionaries—Tejanos, Anglo-Americans, and Native Americans—calling themselves the Republican Army of the North, fought to free Texas from Spain. They were met by a larger, professionally trained Spanish Royalist army. The republicans were lured into a trap, and the battle was a slaughter. Up to 1,300 of the revolutionaries were killed, and the Spanish army showed no mercy, executing any survivors they found. The exact location of the battle has been lost to time, a historical mystery that archaeologists are still trying to solve. But it happened right here, a brutal, bloody chapter in the fight for Texas independence, hidden just beneath the surface of modern Von Ormy.

RoadyGoat →

The Fight to Create Von Ormy RoadyGoat

The city of Von Ormy is one of the youngest in Texas, and its birth was anything but quiet. In the mid-2000s, as San Antonio grew south, residents here faced the prospect of being annexed. A small group, led by a young law student named Art Martinez de Vara, decided to fight back by creating their own city. In May of 2008 they won, and Von Ormy was born, with Martinez de Vara elected mayor that November. They championed a 'Liberty City' model - four straight annual ten percent property tax cuts, aimed at zero, with sales tax carrying the load - and it drew national attention. It also created ferocious local conflict. Three council members balked at zeroing out the property tax, a disputed vote led to an unauthorized meeting at the fire station and open-meetings arrests, and in November 2015 voters narrowly rewrote the city charter itself, converting Von Ormy from a five-member council to a two-commissioner government by a margin of just fourteen votes, 129 to 115. That recent, passionate history defines Von Ormy: a town that fought for its own existence and then kept arguing about what it should be.

RoadyGoat →

Crossing the Medina: From Ford to Freeway RoadyGoat

The spot where you're crossing the Medina River is a hundred and forty years of bridge-building stacked in one place. The river set the problem: it floods fast and hard. For generations the answer was Garza's Crossing — a shallow ford, and a ferry when the water came up. Then in 1881 the International-Great Northern Railroad pushed the first rail line from San Antonio to Laredo through here and threw its bridge across the Medina about a mile west of that ferry, up out of the flood. A depot went up on the south bank, the settlement followed the tracks, and in 1886 it took the name Von Ormy after Count Norbert von Ormay, an Austrian nobleman living nearby — the postmaster misspelled it and the misspelling stuck. In 1906 the first steel highway bridge went over the Medina here. The structure you're on now, the Interstate 35 crossing, is the end of that line of thinking: piers sunk into bedrock and a deck carried high above the flood plain. Same ancient problem, four different centuries of answers.

RoadyGoat →

Von Ormy, TX

1861

Von Ormy is in southwest Bexar County along Interstate 35 and the Medina River. The community is named for Count Norbert von Ormay, an Austrian nobleman who lived in the area in the mid-1880s. The town was previously known as Medina Crossing and was renamed “Von Ormy” by postmaster Branson Bywater in 1886. The community was originally founded one mile east at Garza’s Crossing sometime after Texas declared its independence. In 1861 San Antonio merchant Enoch Jones moved to the area and retired to his “Castle on the Medina,” a large limestone Pennsylvania-style home overlooking the south bank of the Medina River. The house was reported to be the first in Texas to have indoor plumbing. In 1881 the International-Great Northern Railroad constructed the first rail line connecting San Antonio and Laredo. The rail bridge across the Medina was built one mile west of the ferry at Garza’s Crossing at present Von Ormy. The area surrounding the rail depot on the south bank of the Medina grew quickly and was called “Medina Crossing” by the IGNR. The early settlers of Medina Crossing were almost entirely from Garza’s Crossing. Rail access also changed the local economy from cattle ranching to cotton and winter vegetable farming. Count Norbert von Ormay Auffenberg, an Austrian nobleman, arrived in 1886 with twenty servants. The count purchased the “Castle on the Medina.” The arrival of the count and Countess Emma was a sensation in San Antonio and widely reported in the San Antonio newspapers. Postmaster Branson Bywater relocated the Mann’s Crossing post office to a new location near the rail depot and re-named the community “Von Ormy,” misspelling the name of Count von Ormay. Though the count and countess hastily returned to Dresden, Saxony, after less than eighteen months in the castle, the house was still known locally as the “Von Ormy Castle” in the early twenty-first century. The Von Ormy School opened just after 1900 and provided classes through the eighth grade. In 1914 the Von Ormy Cottage Sanitarium opened to treat tuberculosis patients. That year the town had two grocers, a general store, a cotton gin, and a population of 350. In 1919 a hurricane destroyed the Santisima Trinidad Catholic Church at Garza’s Crossing, and it was rebuilt in Von Ormy in 1930. In 1946 the population was still 350. The Von Ormy School closed in 1952 and students began attending the newly-formed Southwest Rural School District. After World War II the community declined; in 1965 nine businesses and 100 residents were reported. Since that time the population has grown steadily, and in 2000 Von Ormy had 1,300 residents and twenty businesses. The City of Von Ormy was incorporated on May 30, 2008, and included parts of Garza’s Crossing and Mann’s Crossing.

Tsha Handbook →

McCulloch Cemetery

1835

Samuel McCulloch, Jr. (1810-1893), wounded at the Battle of Goliad October 9, 1835, was one of the first casualties in the Texas Revolution. This site is part of land he received in 1850 as a bounty for his service. The oldest marked grave is that of his father who died in 1855. It became known as Medina Baptist Cemetery after he deeded 1.5 acres to the church in 1861. In 1866 the congrgegation relocated and the site became a community cemetery. Buried here are area pioneers, Civil War veterans, noted potter Louis Meyer, and many early citizens of Bexar County. This burial ground is also known as Mann's Crossing Cemetery.

Historical Marker →

Bexar, TX

1854

Bexar, also known as La Colorada, is two miles west of Somerset on Farm Road 2790 and Kinney Road, eighteen miles southwest of downtown San Antonio in southwestern Bexar County. Bexar was first settled by John Kinney (also spelled Kenney), an Irish farmer and rancher, in 1854. In 1868 Kinney and other area residents founded San Patricio de Bexar Catholic Church. By the mid-1880s the Kinney family was operating an open pit coal mine in Bexar. Coal was originally transported to San Antonio by ox-cart. The Bexar post office opened in 1883 in the general store, which was painted bright red. For this reason, the town was known by the Hispanic workers as “La Colorada” or “La Mina de la Colorada.” In 1894 there were thirty to forty-five small houses, a general store owned by John Conoly and Dr. James A Matthews, a doctor’s office, a theater, a post office, a cotton gin, a dance hall, a cantina, and three churches. In 1909 the Artesian Belt Railroad came through the area and bypassed Bexar. The town of Somerset was established two miles to the east on the rail line and most of Bexar moved to Somerset. A spur was eventually constructed to connect the coal mine. In 1913 C.C. Kurtz, while drilling a water well, discovered oil in Somerset. This turned out to be the largest shallow oil producing field in the world at the time. The local economy quickly shifted to oil production. Shortly thereafter the general store closed, all three churches moved to Somerset, and Bexar went into decline. In the late 2000s the three Bexar cemeteries were still in use and a few scattered houses remained in the area.

Tsha Handbook → · 3.3 mi away

Somerset, TX

1909

Somerset is off State Highway 1604 fifteen miles southwest of San Antonio in Bexar County. It was named for a settlement that had been begun in 1848 three miles farther south, in what is now Atascosa County, by a group of Baptist families from Somerset, Kentucky. The present site was named Somerset when the First Townsite Company was formed on the Artesian Belt Railroad right-of-way on May 25, 1909, by A. M. Pyron, Carl Kurz, and Jonas A. Kerr. Many of the residents of Old Somerset and nearby Bexar eventually moved to the new townsite. In 1913, while drilling for artesian water, Kurz discovered oil. A boom followed. The Somerset oilfield extended from Somerset to below Pleasanton and was the largest known shallow field in the world at that time. Two oil refineries in the field and a pipeline into San Antonio handled the high-gravity crude. The town grew rapidly from fifty residents in 1925 to 700 in 1928; it was served by a state bank, a ten-room hotel, and several machine and blacksmith shops. A post office opened there in 1920. A nearby lignite coal mine also added to the booming economy of the area. During the 1920s farmers turned from cotton to dryland fruit and vegetable farming. In 1931 the Somerset Fruit Growers Exchange building was dedicated, and between truck farming, oil, and coal, the town prospered until the mid-1930s, when diminishing oil returns and the Great Depression caused a decline. In 1931 the town reported twenty businesses; by 1958 there were only eight. In 1920 the Somerset Independent School District was formed from at least five other school districts: Wildman, Senior, Bexar, Old Rock (Old Somerset area), and Oak Island. As of 1990 the district included some eighty-four square miles and was located in two counties, Bexar and Atascosa. The population of Somerset increased gradually during the late 1960s and 1970s, topping 1,000 in 1978. Somerset was incorporated in 1973 and has a mayor-council form of city government . In 1990 Somerset reported 1,144 residents, many of whom worked in farming, ranching, and oilfield drilling and maintenance; in addition, a great number worked in San Antonio or surrounding areas. At that time the community had a chamber of commerce, a national bank, some eighteen rated businesses, and several civic clubs and organizations. In 2000 the population reached 1,550.

Tsha Handbook → · 3.3 mi away

Ruiz-Herrera Cemetery

1836

Started in 1840's; still used by founding families. Graves include those of Texas patriots Francisco Antonio Ruiz, 1836 acting mayor, whose father and uncle signed Declaration of Independence; and Blas Herrera, who alerted the Alamo defenders to Santa Anna's approach. (1967)

Historical Marker → · 3.4 mi away

Enoch Jones Farmstead

1837

Enoch Jones (1802-1863) purchased the land at this site, part of an 1808 Spanish colonial land grant to Ygnacio Perez, in 1837. An Ohio native, Jones was already a nationally known engineer when he moved to Texas permanently in 1846. He opened a general merchandise store in San Antonio and became a prominent citizen. In 1851 Jones bought out his partner John Smith to become the sole owner of this land. Though some evidence suggests that earlier buildings may have been present, construction began on the farmstead buildings in 1856 with stone quarried on site. A large house, barn, and outbuildings were erected. After Jones' death, the family continued to live on the property until they sold it in 1895 to Count Norbert Von Ormay (Ormy) of Prussia and his wife. The Von Ormays intended to establish a royal court in the home, but sold the property within two years. Though he was a resident of the area only a short time, the count's name was adopted by the community as Von Ormy. After a series of owners, T. B. Baker bought the land in 1915. The president of Baker Hotels, the new owner called his land the St. Anthony Ranch, for the St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio. The Baker family held the property until 1994. The "Castle on the Medina" has been home to many prominent area families. Its legacy stands as a memorial to the pioneers of Bexar County. (1998)

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Von Ormy

historical 15.1 mi away
The Alamo

In the spring of 1836 about two hundred Texas defenders held this old Spanish mission for thirteen days against a Mexican army of two thousand led by Santa…
historical 21.5 mi away
The Alamo

Remember the Alamo. The 1836 last stand that became Texas' most sacred site.
historical 13.0 mi away
Mission San José

The queen of the missions -- San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo -- was founded in 1720 just south of San Antonio and quickly became the largest wealthiest and…
quirky 13.8 mi away
A 400-Year-Old House Crosses the Ocean

The Steinbach Haus was originally built between 1618 and 1648 in Wahlbach Alsace France. In 1988 the Steinbach family carefully numbered every beam and…
quirky 13.8 mi away
The Frozen Dialect

For over a century visitors to Castroville were more likely to hear Alsatian than English in the homes stores and taverns. The remarkable thing is the dialect…
historical 20.8 mi away
John T. Floore's Country Store

John T Floore opened his country store dance hall on the old Bandera road in Helotes in 1942 and Willie Nelson played it so many times for so many years that…
historical 13.8 mi away
Drought Locusts and Cholera

The Alsatian settlers who founded Castroville in 1844 faced a gauntlet of biblical proportions. First came Comanche raids. Then a fifteen-month drought…
historical 13.9 mi away
The Little Alsace of Texas

In 1844 a French-born empresario named Henri Castro led 700 Alsatian farmers across the Atlantic to settle 25 miles west of San Antonio. They built…

Everything Near Von Ormy

1015 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • The Bloodiest Battle in Texas

    Somewhere in the woods and fields around you lies the site of the Battle of Medina, the deadliest battle ever fought on Texas soil. In August 1813, a group of about 1,400 revolutionaries—Tejanos, Anglo-Americans, and…

  • The Fight to Create Von Ormy

    The city of Von Ormy is one of the youngest in Texas, and its birth was anything but quiet. In the mid-2000s, as San Antonio grew south, residents here faced the prospect of being annexed. A small group, led by a young…

  • Crossing the Medina: From Ford to Freeway

    The spot where you're crossing the Medina River is a hundred and forty years of bridge-building stacked in one place. The river set the problem: it floods fast and hard. For generations the answer was Garza's Crossing —…

  • The Royal Road Through Town

    The interstate you're on follows a path that is centuries old. You're traveling along the corridor of the Camino Real de los Tejas, the 'Royal Road' that was the main highway from Mexico to Louisiana during the Spanish…

  • The Count Who Left a Misspelled Name Behind · 0.6 mi

    This town on the Medina River carries a nobleman's name, spelled wrong. The old limestone mansion here, called the Castle on the Medina, was built in 1861 by San Antonio merchant Enoch Jones. In 1886 an Austrian…

  • One River Crossing, Three Centuries of Traffic · 0.6 mi

    For well over a century, travelers have funneled across the Medina River near this one spot. In 1850 a man named Miguel de la Garza ran a ferry here to serve the new San Antonio to Laredo stagecoach line, and the ford…

  • The Little City That Voted Its Property Tax to Zero · 0.6 mi

    Von Ormy is tiny, but it ran a governing experiment that drew national attention. Voters approved incorporating the city in May 2008, about eighty eight percent in favor, partly to avoid being annexed by San Antonio.…

  • Eight Thousand Years Beside the Medina · 0.6 mi

    The freeway and the town are recent. Human life on this riverbank is not. Archaeological findings show that people have lived in the Von Ormy area for an estimated eight thousand years, long before any road or rail…

  • Von Ormy, TX · 0.6 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Von Ormy is in southwest Bexar County along Interstate 35 and the Medina River. The community is named for Count Norbert von Ormay, an Austrian nobleman who lived in the area in the mid-1880s. The town was previously…

  • Enoch Jones Farmstead · 1.8 mi · Historical Marker

    Enoch Jones (1802-1863) purchased the land at this site, part of an 1808 Spanish colonial land grant to Ygnacio Perez, in 1837. An Ohio native, Jones was already a nationally known engineer when he moved to Texas…

  • Krause House/Mann's Crossing Post Office · 2.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Krause House, a testament to Texas pioneer grit. Anton and Johanna Krause arrived from Austria in 1854, walking much of the way to San Antonio. By 1875, they’d moved southwest of the…

  • McCulloch Cemetery · 2.2 mi · Historical Marker

    Samuel McCulloch, Jr. (1810-1893), wounded at the Battle of Goliad October 9, 1835, was one of the first casualties in the Texas Revolution. This site is part of land he received in 1850 as a bounty for his service. The…

Show all 200 nearby places
  • Bexar, TX · 3.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Bexar, also known as La Colorada, is two miles west of Somerset on Farm Road 2790 and Kinney Road, eighteen miles southwest of downtown San Antonio in southwestern Bexar County. Bexar was first settled by John Kinney…

  • Somerset, TX · 3.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Somerset is off State Highway 1604 fifteen miles southwest of San Antonio in Bexar County. It was named for a settlement that had been begun in 1848 three miles farther south, in what is now Atascosa County, by a group…

  • Mann's Crossing, TX · 3.3 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Mann’s Crossing is at the intersection of Old Pearsall Road and the Medina River in southwest Bexar County. It is named after the Mann family who immigrated to Texas from Alsace-Lorraine as part of the original Henri…

  • Drilling for Water, They Struck Oil · 3.4 mi

    In 1913, town founder Carl Kurz sank a bore looking for artesian water and hit oil instead. That accident opened the Somerset field, which ran south toward Pleasanton and was called the largest known shallow field in…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Somerset (Somerset) · 3.4 mi

    Somerset (Somerset, TX) placed on the 4A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Josiah Gonzales (0.478 avg).

  • The Town That Moved to Meet a Railroad · 3.4 mi

    Somerset carries a Kentucky name. In 1848, Baptist families from Somerset, Kentucky, started a settlement about three miles south of here, in what is now Atascosa County. That first village is remembered as Old…

  • Ruiz-Herrera Cemetery · 3.4 mi · Historical Marker

    Started in 1840's; still used by founding families. Graves include those of Texas patriots Francisco Antonio Ruiz, 1836 acting mayor, whose father and uncle signed Declaration of Independence; and Blas Herrera, who…

  • From Cotton Rows to a Growers Exchange · 3.4 mi

    Oil grabbed the headlines, but many Somerset families lived off the soil. During the 1920s, local farmers turned away from cotton toward dryland fruit and vegetable farming, the kind of small-scale produce raising known…

  • Macdona, TX · 3.8 mi

    Macdona's history is marked by a significant event on June 28, 2004, when a train crash between BNSF and Union Pacific Railroad trains led to the release of 9,400 US gallons of liquid chlorine. The chlorine immediately…

  • The Iron Compass: Engineering a Town · 3.8 mi

    The railroad tracks that parallel the road here are a monument to 19th-century engineering, and the Sunset Route was a genuine undertaking: surveyors with transits and chains mapping the flattest line, graders building…

  • Atascosa, TX · 4.5 mi

    According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service 2007 census, there are more than 70 crop operations in Atascosa, with three operations valued at more than $250,000 each. There are also more than 125 animal…

  • The Science in the Soil · 4.5 mi

    The ground around Atascosa is mostly sandy loam, and that single fact organized everything that ever grew here. Unlike heavy clay that turns sticky and hard to plow, or pure sand that won't hold water, sandy loam is the…

  • The Poor Man's Oil Field · 5.2 mi

    When oil was struck here in 1913, it wasn't a gusher that made headlines around the world. Carl Kurz wasn't even looking for oil — he was drilling for artesian water. What he found was something different: oil sitting…

  • Drilling for 'Shallow' Gold · 5.2 mi

    The Somerset oil boom was a direct result of specific geology and the simple engineering it allowed. The oil here wasn't miles down; it sat in shallow porous sand only about 1,400 feet below the surface, and the field…

  • Somerset, TX · 5.2 mi

    Somerset's history is marked by significant economic shifts. In 1913, Carl Kurz struck oil while drilling for artesian water, leading to an economic boom. The Somerset oilfield became the largest known shallow field in…

  • The Macaroni Line · 5.2 mi

    Somerset owes its existence to a railroad that no longer runs — the Artesian Belt. It was chartered on the seventeenth of November, 1908, and it was never really about hauling other people's freight. It was chartered in…

  • The Man Who Built a Town · 5.2 mi

    Somerset didn't happen by accident. In 1909, three men — A. M. Pyron, Carl Kurz and Jonas A. Kerr — laid a town out along the right-of-way of the Artesian Belt Railroad, timing it so the new community would have rails…

  • Rambie-Lewis Family Cemetery · 5.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Rambie-Lewis Family Cemetery. This family cemetery, consisting of three graves, is a physical reminder of the hardships faced by 19th century pioneer families. Aaron Rambie, a Pennsylvania native who…

  • Hendrick Arnold · 5.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through San Antonio, and right here is the story of Hendrick Arnold. Born in Kentucky in 1804, Arnold was a participant in the capture of Bexar, fighting in December of 1835. He lived a full life in…

  • Old Rock Baptist Church · 5.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Old Rock Baptist Church, a place with roots stretching back to 1857. Originally organized as Medina Baptist Church near Macdona, services were held in homes and schoolhouses until members…

  • DeVilbiss, The Rev. John Wesley · 7.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through San Antonio, and right here is where a man named John Wesley DeVilbiss laid the groundwork for a whole lot of harmony. He arrived in Texas back in 1842, riding the circuit and ministering to both…

  • Oak Island Methodist Church and Cemetery · 7.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through San Antonio, near where Reverend John Wesly DeVilbliss, a circuit rider, arrived in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1842</say-as>. He ministered to immigrants and native Texians, promoting…

  • Donkey Lady Bridge · 7.2 mi

    On Old Applewhite Road, south of San Antonio, a one-lane bridge built in nineteen-seventeen crosses the Medina River. It's been closed to cars since two-thousand-five and folded into the Medina River Greenway, but…

  • Site of Idlewild Community · 7.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Idlewild, a farming community that saw its share of frontier drama. In July of 1867, Romanus Gross, 51, and his 19-year-old son George were attacked by Native Americans on horseback, just…

  • Benton City Institute · 7.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Benton City Institute, a school that shaped young minds right here in Atascosa County. The building went up in 1875, and the very next year, the Masons bought the top floor. Educators…

  • The Town in Three Places at Once · 8.1 mi

    Here’s something you probably don't know about the town you're in. Your car might be in Atascosa County, but the gas station across the street could be in Medina County, and the school down the road in Bexar County.…

  • Lytle, John Thomas · 8.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through South Texas, and right here is Lytle, a town named for a man who helped shape the Texas cattle industry. John Thomas Lytle, a Civil War veteran, started his own ranch near Castroville in 1867. But…

  • Great Western Trail · 8.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through South Texas, and right here, in the mid-1870s, a massive undertaking began: the Great Western Trail. This wasn't just any cattle drive; it was a 2,000-mile lifeline stretching all the way to…

  • The Cattle King's Town · 8.1 mi

    The town of Lytle is named for Captain John T. Lytle, and unlike most namesakes, he was actually here. Born in Pennsylvania in 1844, he came to Texas in 1860, and by 1871 he had a cattle-trailing partnership with his…

  • Benton, TX · 8.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Lytle, and right here, the community of Benton once stood. Settled in 1876, it was a bustling place with a Masonic hall and its own newspaper, the Benton City Era. Residents even tried to carve out…

  • Lytle, TX · 8.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Lytle, a town named for John T. Lytle, a rancher and cattle driver who was active here as early as the 1840s. He helped establish Lytle Station on the railroad in 1882. When the post office opened…

  • The Depot That Rode In on Two Flatcars · 8.2 mi

    Lytle owes its exact spot to a soured land deal. In 1881 the International-Great Northern Railroad struck a bargain with B. G. Andrews to place a depot on his land, called Andrews Station. The deed fell into dispute,…

  • The Man This Town Is Named For Blazed a Cattle Trail · 8.2 mi

    The name on the town belongs to John T. Lytle, one of the great figures of the open-range cattle era. Born in Pennsylvania in 1844, he came to Atascosa County as a young man and regained his health working on his…

  • Lytle, TX · 8.3 mi

    Lytle's history began with 321 acres patented to Henry Volkner in 1856. In 1870, Volkner sold the land for $175 to Fitch S. Adams, who allowed the first school to be built on his property. The town's name originated…

  • Lackland Air Force Base, TX · 8.3 mi

    The 737th Training Group at Lackland Air Force Base provides Basic Military Training for all enlisted people entering the USAF, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. The training is organized into nine basic…

  • Benton City Cemetery · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Benton City Cemetery, established back in 1870. This was the first public burial ground for a community that, in its day, boasted a great school, busy businesses, and its own newspaper, the Benton…

  • Lytle Methodist Church · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing Lytle United Methodist Church, a place with roots stretching back to 1889. It all started with W.C. Newton, a farmer and preacher known as 'The Father of the Lytle Methodist Church.' He worked hard to get…

  • Atascosa Lodge No. 379, A.F. and A.M. · 8.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Atascosa Lodge Number 379, chartered in 1873. These eleven Master Masons started their lodge in Benton City in 1872. Their first hall, built in 1876, wasn't just for meetings; it also…

  • The Jefferson Davis Highway Plan · 8.5 mi

    Several Texas highways carry an old honorary name, the Jefferson Davis Highway. It grew out of a plan conceived in nineteen thirteen and promoted by the United Daughters of the Confederacy: a coast to coast road named…

  • A Sergeant and a Trooper, One Traffic Stop · 8.6 mi

    U S Highway Ninety in Bexar County, between State Highway Two Eleven and Montgomery Road, is the Sergeant William Kuhnle Junior and Trooper Ralph G. Zerda Memorial Highway. Both men were Texas Highway Patrol officers…

  • First Baptist Church of Lytle · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Lytle. It all began in April of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1893</say-as>, when Dr. J.V.E. Covey and sixteen members held their first service under…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Lytle (Lytle) · 8.7 mi

    Lytle (Lytle, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Mason Hill (0.526 avg, 7 HR); Peyton Phillips (3 HR); Toby Davila (0.477 avg, 2 HR).

  • Spanish and Mexican Land Grants · 8.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through San Antonio on land that's seen centuries of history. This area, once home to Native Americans, was part of Spanish and Mexican land grants, and even a route for El Camino Real. The earliest grant…

  • LaCoste, TX · 9.0 mi

    In 2000, La Coste was the place in the United States with the highest percentage of its population reporting Alsatian ancestry, with 7.1% of the population reporting Alsatian ancestry. This unique cultural heritage sets…

  • Alsatian Echoes from Castroville · 9.0 mi

    While nearby Castroville is famous as the 'Little Alsace of Texas,' LaCoste is a chapter in that same story. It started as a settlement called Fernando — twenty-five residents, two general stores, two saloons, and a…

  • Lacoste, TX · 9.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Lacoste, Texas, a community with roots stretching back to 1893 when it was known as Fernando. <break time="400ms"/> It started small, with just a post office and a few businesses, but by 1896, it…

  • The Lignite That Fed the Locomotives · 9.1 mi

    About a mile southwest of Lytle, in southeastern Medina County, a settlement grew up around something buried in the ground: lignite. Lignite is a soft, young brown coal, formed from peat that never fully hardened into…

  • City Hotel · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the City Hotel in La Coste, a place that offered more than just a bed back in the day. Built in 1912 by Emil Schmidt, it was the first public lodging in town, perfectly placed near the railroad depot…

  • Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in La Coste. Established in 1911 after a petition the year before, this red brick, gothic-style building was a welcome sight for area Catholics who previously had to…

  • Kelly No. 2 Flight Line · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past a piece of aviation history right now in San Antonio. Back in 1917, this area became known as 'Kelly No. 2,' a major flight training and maintenance hub for the U.S. Army Air Corps. The field was…

  • "Battle" of Adams Hill · 9.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the 'Battle' of Adams Hill, a Civil War confrontation that ended without a single shot fired. In May of 1861, Confederate forces under Earl Van Dorn faced off against Union troops led by…

  • Station "X" · 9.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a crucial World War II operation, Station X. In 1942, over a thousand civilian volunteers, mostly Texans, were recruited from San Antonio Air Depot for a secret mission. They sailed…

  • Moses Lapham · 9.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site where a San Jacinto veteran met his end. On October 20th, 1838, Moses Lapham, who fought for Texas independence, and three of his men were killed by Indians right around here. The very next…

  • Kelly Air Force Base · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Kelly Air Force Base, a place that played a huge role in American air power. Back in 1917, just before the US entered World War I, this farmland was chosen for a new aviation training…

  • Trimble Cemetery · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Trimble Cemetery, a final resting place for folks who met untimely ends. Edwin Trimble himself died here from a snakebite in 1869. His wife Dorothy was killed by a robber. Later, young Grace Lytle…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Jay (San Antonio) · 10.0 mi

    Jay (San Antonio, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Daniel Rodriguez (3 HR).

  • Chihuahua Trail · 10.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past a route that was once a vital artery for Texas commerce and survival. This was the Chihuahua Trail, an old Indian road first used by Apaches and Comanches. By <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Cleto L. Rodriguez Freeway · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    US Highway Ninety through San Antonio's West Side is the Cleto Rodriguez Freeway, named in nineteen ninety one. Rodriguez was born in San Marcos in nineteen twenty three, lost both parents by the time he was nine, and…

  • Bobbitt, Robert Lee · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Medina County, passing the birthplace of Robert Lee Bobbitt, a man who wore many hats in Texas public service. After graduating from North Texas Normal College and UT Law, he served in World War…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Medina (Medina) · 11.0 mi

    Medina (Medina, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Davis Peterson (0.514 avg, 1 HR).

  • Cleto L. Rodriguez Freeway · 11.7 mi · Historical Marker

    Honors Cleto L. Rodriguez, WWII Medal of Honor recipient for the February 1945 assault on Manila's Paco Railroad Station. Orphan from San Marcos, raised in San Antonio's west side.

  • The Battle of the Medina · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a brutal battle that ended an early bid for Texas independence. On August 18, 1813, the Battle of the Medina raged right here. General Jose Joaquin Arredondo's Spanish royalist army met…

  • Lydia Mendoza · 12.0 mi

    You're driving through San Antonio, and right here is a marker for Lydia Mendoza, the "Lark of the Border." Born in Houston, she became one of the most famous singers across the Texas-Mexico border and all of Latin…

  • From the South Side to Congress · 12.0 mi

    U.S. Highway Two Eighty One, from Loop Four Ten to the Atascosa County line, is the Congressman Frank M. Tejeda Memorial Highway, named by the Texas Legislature in nineteen ninety seven. Tejeda grew up poor on San…

  • The Lab That Solves Anything for Anybody · 12.0 mi

    Tucked into the northwest side of San Antonio is a place that solves problems for a living. Southwest Research Institute was founded in 1947 by an oilman named Tom Slick Jr., and it has grown into one of the oldest and…

  • Where They Test Engines Until They Break · 12.0 mi

    Southwest Research Institute is one of the world's top centers for engine, fuel, and lubricant research, and the way it does that work is wonderfully brute-force. Spread across the campus are hundreds of test stands,…

  • The Matamoros Road · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what was once the Matamoros Road, a vital artery in Texas history. Before Texas was even Texas, this path served Native Americans and Spanish explorers. By the 19th century, it was the main drag for…

  • From Natalia Fields to Ivy League President · 12.1 mi

    The little town you're rolling through carries a young woman's name, though a clerk's slip of the pen changed it forever. Back in nineteen twelve, an engineer named Fred Stark Pearson was busy dreaming up one of the…

  • Engineering an Oasis: The Medina Canal System · 12.1 mi

    The existence of Natalia is a direct result of a feat of civil engineering and hydrology. When Dr. Fred S. Pearson's company built the Medina Dam in 1911 and 1912 — the biggest irrigation project west of the Mississippi…

  • The Pluto Mission Run From San Antonio · 12.1 mi

    Here's something amazing about Southwest Research Institute: it doesn't just build instruments that ride on spacecraft, it actually leads space missions. An SwRI scientist named Alan Stern is the principal investigator…

  • Natalia, TX · 12.1 mi

    Natalia, Texas, might seem like just another peaceful dot on the map as you drive through. The quiet streets and the fields stretching out toward the horizon tell a story of hard work and simple living, rooted in…

  • Selling a Dream Watered by the Medina Dam · 12.1 mi

    The town of Natalia is built on a powerful promise. Beginning in 1911, crews poured the Medina Dam north of here, a monumental feat finished in 1913 and, at the time, the largest hydraulic engineering project west of…

  • Setting Things on Fire for Science · 12.1 mi

    At Southwest Research Institute, one whole line of work is setting things on fire on purpose. The institute started the nation's first fire-technology research program back in 1949, and it still runs one of the world's…

  • Espada Acequia · 12.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Check out this incredible aqueduct – a water system built almost 300 years ago that's *still* working! Franciscan friars and local Native Americans built the Espada Acequia around 1731 to irrigate the fields near…

  • Esparza, Enrique · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site where a young boy named Enrique Esparza witnessed one of Texas's most famous battles. He was just 11 years old during the Siege of the Alamo, hiding in a hay pile with his family. From…

  • The Festival That Built a Town · 12.4 mi

    In Poteet, everything revolves around one weekend in April. That’s when the Poteet Strawberry Festival takes over. But this is more than just a party; it’s a piece of living history. It all started in 1948. The town's…

  • The Science of a Poteet Strawberry · 12.4 mi

    The reason Poteet is the 'Strawberry Capital of Texas' isn't luck; it's a perfect combination of soil science, hydrology, and horticulture. As you look at the fields, notice the ground. It’s not dark clay; it’s a…

  • El Carmen Cemetery (Cementerio del Carmen) · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past El Carmen Cemetery, a place with roots stretching back to a pivotal battle for Texas independence. On August 18th, 1813, the Battle of the Medina River raged. A Republican Army of the North, fighting…

  • The 'Dilly-Dally' Railroad · 12.4 mi

    Poteet owes a lot to a shoestring railroad. The Artesian Belt was chartered in November of 1908 and opened the following September, running down from Macdona toward Christine through the country made famous by its…

  • San Antonio Missions · 12.7 mi · Historical Marker

    Along a nine-mile stretch of the San Antonio River stand four Spanish missions that, together with the Alamo, form the largest concentration of Spanish colonial missions in North America. They were built between 1718…

  • Medina County · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Medina County, a place with a unique origin story. Back in 1844, French-German settlers, led by Henri Castro and accompanied by the legendary Texas Ranger John Coffee Hays, set out to establish a…

  • Medina River · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of Texas, and right here, the Medina River has been a lifeline for centuries. Spanish explorer Alonso De León first mapped this stream in 1689, naming it after an engineer whose charts…

  • French · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, a land that's seen explorers and settlers from all over the world. Long before Texas was even a republic, French explorers like La Salle were charting these lands, establishing settlements…

  • Gentilz, Jean Louis Theodore · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of the Castro colony, and right here, in what became Castroville, is where artist Théodore Gentilz first laid out this village in 1844. Hired by Henri Castro himself, Gentilz was more…

  • Hadra, Ida Weisselberg · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Castroville, the birthplace of Ida Weisselberg Hadra, a talented Texas artist. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, Ida showed early promise, studying with renowned Austin…

  • Landmark Inn State Historic Site · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Castroville, right on the Medina River. What started as a home and dry-goods store for César Monod in 1849, quickly became the Vance Hotel. In fact, the first issue of the Castroville Era…

  • Seminary of St. Philip For Mexican Students · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Castroville, Texas, a place that became a refuge for seminarians fleeing religious persecution in Mexico. <break time="400ms"/> In January of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1915</say-as>,…

  • Vance, John · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Castroville, a town that owes a lot to John Vance. He came to Texas in 1846, following General Zachary Taylor's troops, and set up shop with his brothers in San Antonio. But Vance eventually moved…

  • Castroville, TX · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Castroville, the "Little Alsace" of Texas. This town owes its existence to Henri Castro, who signed an empresario contract with the Republic of Texas back in 1842. He brought Catholic farmers all…

  • Natalia, TX · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Natalia, a town born from a dream of irrigation and a tragic twist of fate. It was founded in 1912 by the Medina Irrigation Company, named for Natalie Pearson, daughter of the project's…

  • Feltin, Louise · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Louise (Mother St. Andrew) Feltin, foundress of the Sisters of Divine Providence in Texas, was born to Jean Claude and Marie (Seiter) Feltin of Alsace on December 27, 1830, and educated in the villages of Geispolsheim…

  • Huth, August Ferdinand Louis · 12.7 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Louis Huth, entrepreneur, merchant, and public official, was born on January 3, 1813, in Baden, presumably in Neufreystadt, to Ludwig and Catherine (Leicht) Huth. The elder Huth was a wine merchant and insurance agent,…

  • Rossville Cemetery · 12.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Rossville Cemetery, a resting place established by a land grant from a famous Texan. Jose Antonio Navarro, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, transferred land here to his son. In…

  • Mission San José (Texas) · 12.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine life on the Texas frontier as you approach Mission San José. Founded in 1720 by Franciscan missionaries, Mission San José was built to convert local Native Americans to Christianity and solidify Spain's claim to…

  • Navarro, Jose Antonio · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past land once granted to Mission San Jose, but left unsettled until the 1820s. In 1828, Jose Antonio Navarro, a key figure in San Antonio and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, asked the…

  • Stinson Airport · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Stinson Airport, a place that's seen Texas aviation history take flight! It all started with Katherine Stinson, who, back in 1912, wanted prize money to fund her music lessons. She learned to fly,…

  • Mission San Jose - Camino Real Waystation · 12.9 mi · National Historic Trail

    Mission San Jose is the second oldest of the San Antonio missions and the most heavily fortified, the so-called Queen of the Missions, with thick limestone walls and a rose window that someone hand-carved in the 1770s.…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Brennan (San Antonio) · 12.9 mi

    Brennan (San Antonio, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Antonio Nunez (0.512 avg, 1 HR); Drew Martinez (3 HR).

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Warren (San Antonio) · 12.9 mi

    Warren (San Antonio, TX) placed on the 6A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Joaquin Guerra (4 HR); Alex Garza (0.410 avg, 1 HR).

  • Our Lady of the Lake University · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through San Antonio, and right here is where a legacy of learning began. It all started back in 1866, when American Bishops decided Texas needed more Catholic education. Bishop Dubuis of Texas got the…

  • Mission San José · 13.0 mi · Things to Do

    The queen of the missions -- San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo -- was founded in 1720 just south of San Antonio and quickly became the largest wealthiest and…

  • Aqueduct · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past a piece of living history right now in San Antonio! Look for the stone aqueduct, built way back in 1731 by Franciscan friars. This wasn't just for show; it carried vital water from the San Antonio…

  • Mission San Francisco de la Espada Dam, Ditch and Aqueduct · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mission San Francisco de la Espada, and right here, you're seeing the legacy of its water system. Franciscan missionaries built this incredible dam, ditch, and aqueduct, a true engineering feat for…

  • The Soldier Who Dreamed of Serving · 13.1 mi

    The State Highway One Fifty One bridge at Westover Hills, in Bexar County, is the Specialist Dane Balcon Memorial Bridge. From an early age, Dane Balcon dreamed of serving his country. In two thousand two, at Sand Creek…

  • Rossville · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Atascosa County, passing the site of what was once Rossville. This was the very first Scottish community in all of southwest Texas. It all started in 1873 when brothers William and John Ross, who…

  • Mission San Franscico Xavier de Najera · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Mission San Francisco Xavier de Nájera, established way back in 1722. It was a short-lived mission, with its few Native American converts transferred to the care of the missionaries at…

  • Mission Concepcion · 13.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    These weathered stones whisper tales of faith, resilience, and cultural collision. Mission Concepcion began as Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainais in East Texas in 1711. It was established by…

  • Mission San Juan Capistrano (Texas) · 13.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Pull over here! You're about to see a piece of Texas history that whispers tales of faith and resilience: Mission San Juan Capistrano. Originally established in 1716 as La Misión San José de los Nazonis, this mission…

  • Mission San Francisco De La Espada (Mission St. Francis of the Sword) · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mission San Francisco De La Espada, one of the historic Spanish missions near San Antonio. Established in 1731, its roots might stretch back to 1690 in East Texas. By 1745, the mission's inhabitants…

  • Mission San Juan Capistrano · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mission San Juan Capistrano, one of the Spanish frontier missions established in 1731. Franciscan missionaries aimed to convert local Coahuiltecan Indians, but faced constant challenges from raids,…

  • Alejo de la Encarnacion Perez · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of a man who lived an incredibly long life, spanning some of Texas' most pivotal moments. Alejo de la Encarnacion Perez was born in 1835, and as an infant, he was the youngest known…

  • Mission San Francisco de la Espada · 13.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Pull over here for a second, because this isn't just another old building; it's a piece of living history from a time when empires clashed and cultures met. Mission San Francisco de la Espada, or Mission Espada as it's…

  • Jose Antonio Navarro · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of Jose Antonio Navarro, a true Texas legend. Born right here in San Antonio in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1795</say-as>, Navarro wasn't just any Tejano; he was a signer of…

  • Col. Jose Francisco Ruiz · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of Colonel Jose Francisco Ruiz, a man who wore two hats in early Texas. First, he served as an officer in the Mexican Army starting in 1831. But when Texas declared its independence in…

  • Don Jose de Jesus Rodriguez · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the area where Don Jose de Jesus Rodriguez lived. He was a veteran of the Texas War for Independence, fighting in 1835 and 1836. Rodriguez was part of the storming party that entered Bexar in…

  • Haby's: Eighty Years of Alsatian Baking on Highway 90 · 13.5 mi

    No drive through Castroville is really complete without pulling over at Haby's Alsatian Bakery, right on the highway at 207 US Highway 90 East. The bakery first opened in 1940 under Stanley Haby, whose surname is one of…

  • Capt. Jose Antonio Menchaca · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of Captain Jose Antonio Menchaca, right here in San Antonio. Born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1797</say-as>, Menchaca fought in the Texas Revolution and was a veteran of…

  • Mayer, Joseph, Homestead · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Joseph Meyer Homestead, a little piece of Alsace right here in Texas. Joseph and Katherine Meyer, pioneers from the Alsace region of Europe, bought this four-acre plot back in 1855. What's…

  • Placido Olivarri · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of Placido Olivarri, a San Antonio native who became a guide for the Texas Army in 1835. Born in February of 1815, Olivarri lived a long life, passing away on September 8, 1894. His…

  • Don Juan Ximenes · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of Don Juan Ximenes, right here in San Antonio. Born in 1810, Ximenes was a true veteran of the Texas War for Independence, fighting from 1835 to 1836. He was even part of the daring…

  • Landmark Inn State Historic Site · 13.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine weary travelers in the mid-1800s, seeking rest and supplies after a long journey. This spot, now the Landmark Inn, was their haven. Swiss immigrants Cesar and Hannah Monod arrived in Castroville around 1849.…

  • Vance Hotel and Store · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Vance Hotel and Store, built in 1849 with local limestone and cypress. It started as a home, store, and post office for Swiss merchant Caesar Monod. By the 1860s, the Vance family added a wing…

  • Landmark Inn Complex · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Landmark Inn Complex. These limestone structures along the Eagle Pass - San Antonio Road at the Medina River ford were once centers of trade, travel, industry, and domestic life. Alsatian colonist…

  • Castro, Henri · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castroville, founded by Henri Castro, a fascinating figure who came from France. He served in Napoleon's army, married, and even became a U.S. citizen before returning to France to work in…

  • Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, a testament to the faith of German immigrants who settled this area in the 1840s. They held worship services in their homes at first, but in 1852, Zion…

  • The Frozen Dialect · 13.8 mi · Things to Do

    For over a century visitors to Castroville were more likely to hear Alsatian than English in the homes stores and taverns. The remarkable thing is the dialect…

  • A 400-Year-Old House Crosses the Ocean · 13.8 mi · Things to Do

    The Steinbach Haus was originally built between 1618 and 1648 in Wahlbach Alsace France. In 1988 the Steinbach family carefully numbered every beam and…

  • The Grass Fight · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past San Antonio, and you're about to pass the site of one of the strangest battles in Texas history: The Grass Fight. It happened right near here, back on November 26th, 1835. Texan forces had been…

  • Texas' First All-Spanish Radio Program · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a major milestone in Texas broadcasting history. On October 28, 1928, San Antonio's KGCI, later KMAC, launched "The International Goodwill Program." This was the very first all-Spanish…

  • Drought Locusts and Cholera · 13.8 mi · Things to Do

    The Alsatian settlers who founded Castroville in 1844 faced a gauntlet of biblical proportions. First came Comanche raids. Then a fifteen-month drought…

  • Battle of the Alazan · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Battle of the Alazan, fought way back on June 20th, 1813. This was a clash in the long struggle between Spanish Royalists and rebels trying to control Texas. Colonel Ygnacio Elizondo,…

  • Castro, Henri, Site of the Homestead of · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castroville, the heart of a unique Texas settlement. Look around – this town owes its existence to Henri Castro, a French-born immigrant who became a key figure in Texas colonization. In <say-as…

  • Ihnken Family Cemetery · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Ihnken Family Cemetery, a final resting place for some of Castroville's earliest settlers. Marie Becker Ihnken, a Dutch immigrant, was buried here in 1847 by her son, Gerhard. Gerhard married…

  • Biry-Ahr Property · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Biry-Ahr Property, a fantastic example of early Alsatian immigrant architecture right here in Castroville. Jean Jacques Biry, an immigrant from Alsace, built this home between 1847 and 1850. The…

  • Mill on the Pajalache Acequia · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a mill that was already grinding grain before 1824. Built on the Pajalache Acequia, this was no ordinary gristmill. It was a vital stop for early settlers, providing food, and a welcome…

  • Cordier-Tschirhart-Seal House · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past a piece of Alsatian history right here in Texas. Jean Baptiste Cordier, an immigrant from Alsace, built this pioneer home back in 1844 using local limestone. It started with three rooms downstairs…

  • Schmidt, F. Xavier House · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the F. Xavier Schmidt House, built around 1870 by a master German craftsman who shaped the look of Castroville. He floated cypress logs down the Medina River for the attic timbers and used local…

  • Dolch-Hans Compound · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Dolch-Hans Compound, a place that tells the story of Castroville's growth. Look for the stone house, built around 1860 by German immigrants Louis and Rosina Dolch. They didn't stay long, but…

  • Renken Cemetery · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Renken Cemetery, a small burial ground with a story of love and community. German immigrant Henry Renken established this cemetery in 1876, right after his first wife, Lissette, died. She was…

  • A 17th-Century Alsatian House That Sailed to Texas in Pieces · 13.9 mi

    The half-timbered house serving as Castroville's visitor center is older than the United States, older than Texas, older than almost anything you've ever stood inside in this state. The Steinbach Haus was originally…

  • The Stooges' Guitarist Who Helped Invent the Blu-ray Disc · 13.9 mi

    Castroville's most improbable native son is a proto-punk guitar hero who later helped standardize the Blu-ray disc. James Williamson was born here on October 29, 1949. As a young man he became the scorching lead…

  • A French-German Dialect That Time-Capsuled in Texas · 13.9 mi

    For its first hundred years, a stranger walking Castroville's streets was likelier to hear Alsatian than English in the homes, stores, and taverns. The settlers carried a Germanic dialect of Alsace, seasoned with French…

  • The Underground Mill Race That Powered, Then Electrified, the Town · 13.9 mi

    Down by the river behind the Landmark Inn sits one of Texas's quieter feats of frontier engineering. In 1854 George Haass and Laurent Quintle bought riverfront here and built a dam of limestone and cypress across the…

  • Castroville - Little Alsace of Texas · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    Henri Castro was a Portuguese-born Jewish immigrant who became a French citizen, then a Texas empresario. In 1842, the Republic of Texas gave him a contract to settle families west of San Antonio in exchange for land…

  • Brooks, Sidney J., Old Home · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old home of Judge Sidney J. Brooks, built around 1890. This grand Victorian house was designed by M. T. Eckles and built by T. R. Hertzberg. In 1909, Judge Brooks, a prominent lawyer and the…

  • Battle of Medina · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Battle of Medina, Texas' bloodiest military engagement. It happened way back in August of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1813</say-as>. A Republican Army of about 1,400 men, a…

  • Dubuis House · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castroville, where you can see the Dubuis House. Built in 1847 by Father Claude Dubuis, it was the first example of French-Alsatian architecture in town. Dubuis, the first priest in Castro's…

  • The Little Alsace of Texas · 13.9 mi · Things to Do

    In 1844 a French-born empresario named Henri Castro led 700 Alsatian farmers across the Atlantic to settle 25 miles west of San Antonio. They built…

  • Henri Castros Impossible Dream · 13.9 mi · Things to Do

    Henri Castro was born in 1786 to a prominent Jewish family in France. He became a US citizen then returned to Europe to recruit settlers for a Texas empresario…

  • The Little Alsace of Texas, Founded on the Medina · 13.9 mi

    You're rolling into the town that calls itself the Little Alsace of Texas, and the name is no marketing slogan. In 1842 the Republic of Texas signed a colonization contract with Henri Castro, a French empresario who had…

  • The First Church in the County, Raised From River Limestone · 13.9 mi

    St. Louis Catholic Church, anchoring Castroville's old core, traces back to the colony's first year. In 1844 the settlers put up the first church in what would become Medina County, a simple one-story limestone building…

  • Spoon With a Ghost at the Landmark Inn · 13.9 mi

    Spend the night at the Landmark Inn and, if the local lore is to be believed, you may not have the room to yourself. This riverside building has put up travelers since the 1850s, when it grew from a Swiss immigrant's…

  • From Frontier Store to State Historic Site · 13.9 mi

    The Landmark Inn at 402 Florence Street has been watching the Medina River crossing for the better part of two centuries. It started in 1849 as a one-story limestone store and home built by Cesar and Hannah Monod, Swiss…

  • Castroville, TX · 13.9 mi

    Castroville is a place rooted in a very specific vision. Back in 1844, Henri Castro, an empresario, brought families all the way from Alsace in France to settle this part of the Medina River valley. He'd been granted…

  • Castroville Historic District · 13.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Pull over for a minute and step back in time. You're entering the Castroville Historic District, a little slice of Alsace, France, right here in Texas. In the 1840s, Henri Castro, an empresario, brought families from…

  • St. Louis Church · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past St. Louis Church, a cornerstone for Alsatian settlers in the Republic of Texas. Dedicated in 1846 by the first Catholic Bishop of Texas, it later hosted a significant moment in Texas education. In…

  • General Wool and the Chihuahua Road · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past General Wool and the Chihuahua Road. GENERAL WOOL AND THE CHIHUAHUA ROAD In 1846, General John Ellis Wool amassed an army of 3,400 troops in San Antonio to invade Chihuahua, Mexico. Departing from…

  • The Five-Language Cemetery · 13.9 mi · Things to Do

    Cross Hill Cemetery stands like a sentinel overlooking the green Medina Valley below Castroville. Walk among the weathered headstones dating back to the 1840s…

  • The Landmark Inn · 13.9 mi · Things to Do

    In 1849 a way station was built on the Medina River to serve travelers heading west from San Antonio on the El Paso Road. Perched along the riverbank the…

  • The Stone Dam That Still Stands · 13.9 mi · Things to Do

    In 1854 the Alsatian settlers built a rock dam across the Medina River to power a gristmill for grinding their grain. They hauled native limestone and stacked…

  • County Courthouse, First · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the first permanent courthouse in Castroville, built way back in 1854. This limestone beauty, with walls 18 inches thick, served as the county seat for Medina County from 1848 until 1892. Before this…

  • Haller, Louis, House · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Louis Haller House, a limestone home built around 1877 for his growing family. Haller arrived in Texas at just 17 years old, a native of France who came with his father in 1845. He served as a…

  • Moye · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Moye, a place with a long history of service. It began as the first mother house in the United States for the Sisters of Divine Providence, founded by the Rev. John Martin Moye in 1762. Over the…

  • Alsatians of Texas · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castroville, the heart of Alsatian culture in Texas! In 1842, Empresario Henry Castro brought his first settlers here, many from the Alsace region on the border of France and Germany. They founded…

  • St. Louis Day · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castroville, and right here, you're passing the site of a tradition that's been going strong since 1847. It's St. Louis Day, celebrated around August 25th, the Feast of St. Louis. Imagine early…

  • Biesenbach House · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Biesenbach House, built starting in 1880 by German immigrant August Biesenbach. Its walls are stucco over brick, featuring Gothic Revival details. Later, it was home to the Guenther Mill family…

  • The Grand Daddy Church Festival · 14.0 mi · Things to Do

    What started in 1882 as a handful of families celebrating the feast of St. Louis has grown into Castrovilles signature event drawing 10000 visitors each…

  • The San Antonio-El Paso Road · 14.0 mi · Things to Do

    By 1849 Castroville had become a vital water stop on the San Antonio-El Paso Road the main artery connecting civilization to the far western frontier.…

  • St. Louis Catholic Church · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the heart of Castroville, where a piece of French culture took root. This church, St. Louis Catholic Church, wasn't just built; it was a community effort. The first resident pastor, Claude Dubuis,…

  • Steinle, Arcadia · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of Arcadius Steinle, a Prussian mason who settled in Castroville in 1845. He built this house starting in 1847, where he and his wife Marie raised six children. Arcadius died in 1858, and…

  • The House That Crossed the Ocean · 14.1 mi

    One of the most remarkable buildings in Castroville isn't originally from here at all. In fact, it's older than the United States. If you visit the grounds of the modern visitor center, you'll find the Steinbach House,…

  • The Inn at the Heart of Town · 14.1 mi

    To understand Castroville's history, you need to see the Landmark Inn. What's now a State Historic Site started in 1849, when the Frenchman Cesar Monod bought a lot here and put up a big one-story stone building with a…

  • San Antonio Downtown and River Walk Historic District · 14.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Step into a living postcard, where San Antonio's heart beats along the River Walk! The San Antonio Downtown and River Walk Historic District reflects over a century of economic growth and development beginning in the…

  • The Man Whose Friends Are Written on the Street Signs · 14.1 mi

    Read the street signs here and you're reading the founder's address book. Henri Castro, born Moise Henriques de Castro in Bayonne in 1786 into a family of Portuguese-Jewish descent, laid out his colony and named its…

  • The Lost Language of Castroville · 14.1 mi

    For generations, if you walked the streets of Castroville, you wouldn't hear much English or Spanish. You'd hear Alsatian. This unique Germanic dialect was the mother tongue of the original colonists, and they held onto…

  • Engineering an Engine on the River · 14.1 mi

    The Medina River was more than a water source for Castroville; it was the town's first engine, thanks to some clever nineteenth-century engineering. In 1853 the Irish merchant John Vance bought the property, and in 1854…

  • Silvestre Revueltas · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through San Antonio, passing the former home of a brilliant Mexican composer and violinist, Silvestre Revueltas. Born in Mexico in 1899, Revueltas came to San Antonio in 1926, becoming concertmaster at…

  • Old Edward Steves House · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Edward Steves House in San Antonio. Built in 1874, this place is a prime example of lavish Victorian architecture from the late 1800s. It was constructed by Edward Steves, a German immigrant…

  • Schulze-Schilo House · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Schulze-Schilo House, a testament to San Antonio's German craftsmanship. Built around 1891 by Carl Schulze, a prominent homebuilder, this house later belonged to Fritz and Laura Schilo, who…

  • J.M. and Birdie Nix House · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past J.M. and Birdie Nix House. Alabama natives Joseph Madison and Birdie Lanier Nix moved to San Antonio in the early 1890s. J.M. was a businessman who built hotels and other structures. In 1899, the…

  • St. Louis Cemetery · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the oldest Catholic cemetery in Castroville, founded way back in 1844. The original burial ground is right there, enclosed by that stone wall built in 1860. Look for the earliest marked grave:…

  • St. Louis Day: The Granddaddy of Texas Church Festivals · 14.2 mi

    If you roll through Castroville in late August, you may hit the oldest party in town. St. Louis Day honors the Feast of St. Louis IX, the medieval French king who is the parish's patron, and locals have gathered for it…

  • United States San Antonio Arsenal · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the United States Arsenal in San Antonio. Founded way back in 1858, this place was a huge deal for military supplies. Construction started in 1859, but the Civil War threw a wrench in…

  • Arsenal Magazine · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old San Antonio Arsenal, a key military site that played a role in both Union and Confederate history. Land was secured here in 1858, and by 1859, it was the headquarters for the U.S. Army in…

  • Oscar and Rachel Berman House · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Oscar and Rachel Berman House in San Antonio. Oscar, a Jewish-Russian immigrant, built a business empire here, starting with a wholesale liquor business that shifted to loans with Prohibition. In…

  • Elias and Lucy Edmonds House · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the former home of Elias and Lucy Edmonds, built in 1877. Elias was a Confederate officer and lawyer, but his wife Lucy ran a 'high school for young ladies' right here on their property. Later owners…

  • Chabot House · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Chabot House in San Antonio, built in 1876 by George Stooks Chabot, an English immigrant who made his fortune as a commission merchant. Look for the galleries with carved bracketing on this…

  • Groos, Carl Wilhelm August, House · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the former home of Carl Wilhelm August Groos, a key figure in San Antonio's banking history. He arrived in Texas from Germany in 1848 and went on to co-found the Groos National Bank. This house,…

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