The Alamo in San Antonio
A Texas landmark and shrine,
the Alamo is located in the
heart of San Antonio.
A Texas landmark and shrine,
the Alamo is located in the
heart of San Antonio.
San Antonio River
The city has turned its down-
town river into a major
landmark and attraction.
The city has turned its down-
town river into a major
landmark and attraction.
San Antonio, Texas - Historic Sites and Points of Interest
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of San Antonio, Texas
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of San Antonio, Texas
| San Antonio, Texas The historic San Fernando Cathedral is a major historic landmark in San Antonio. Built in 1738, it was used as a lookout during the Alamo siege. |
The Alamo, River Walk & More
One of the most beautiful cities in America,
San Antonio, Texas, has a past that reaches
through the ages and is still felt on the
downtown streets of the old Spanish city.
San Antonio, as any lover of Texas and
Southern history knows, is the home of the
Alamo. The scene of the thirteen day siege
that changed American history, the remains
of the old mission stand in the shadows of
the city's downtown. Now a landmark and
shrine, the Alamo is a moving spot for
visitors to the historic city.
Standing nearby is the magnificent Alamo
Cenotaph. A beautiful memorial to the men
who died in the fall of the fortified mission, it
features their names engraved i stone.
Also adjacent to the Alamo is the historic
Menger Hotel. Built in 1859, the Menger has
housed such notables as Teddy Roosevelt,
Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Babe Ruth,
Sarah Bernhardt and others. Still in use as a
hotel, the Menger has welcomed guests
since just 23 years after the fall of the Alamo.
Other historic landmarks of San Antonio
include the San Fernando Cathedral,
Spanish Governor's Palace, River Walk, San
Antonio Missions National Historical Park
and many others.
San Antonio owes its name to a party of
Spanish explorers and missionaries who
reached the modern site of the city on June
13, 1691, the feast day of St. Anthony of
Padova. They named the spot and the San
Antonio River in his honor.
The Spanish established forts and missions
at San Antonio during the early 1700s and
the city itself saw its first crude beginnings as
a village established by soldiers and their
families in 1718. That same year the presidio
or fort was named San Antonio de Bejar, a
name the city would hold for more than 100
years.
The Mission San Antonio de Valero, better
known as the Alamo, was moved to its
present location in 1724 due to flooding at its
original site. It originally served as a religious
community, but was converted to a military
post in 1803.
The community grew and thrived over the
years that followed. By the outbreak of the
Texas Revolution in 1835, it was one of the
most important towns in Texas.
San Antonio, Texas, has a past that reaches
through the ages and is still felt on the
downtown streets of the old Spanish city.
San Antonio, as any lover of Texas and
Southern history knows, is the home of the
Alamo. The scene of the thirteen day siege
that changed American history, the remains
of the old mission stand in the shadows of
the city's downtown. Now a landmark and
shrine, the Alamo is a moving spot for
visitors to the historic city.
Standing nearby is the magnificent Alamo
Cenotaph. A beautiful memorial to the men
who died in the fall of the fortified mission, it
features their names engraved i stone.
Also adjacent to the Alamo is the historic
Menger Hotel. Built in 1859, the Menger has
housed such notables as Teddy Roosevelt,
Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Babe Ruth,
Sarah Bernhardt and others. Still in use as a
hotel, the Menger has welcomed guests
since just 23 years after the fall of the Alamo.
Other historic landmarks of San Antonio
include the San Fernando Cathedral,
Spanish Governor's Palace, River Walk, San
Antonio Missions National Historical Park
and many others.
San Antonio owes its name to a party of
Spanish explorers and missionaries who
reached the modern site of the city on June
13, 1691, the feast day of St. Anthony of
Padova. They named the spot and the San
Antonio River in his honor.
The Spanish established forts and missions
at San Antonio during the early 1700s and
the city itself saw its first crude beginnings as
a village established by soldiers and their
families in 1718. That same year the presidio
or fort was named San Antonio de Bejar, a
name the city would hold for more than 100
years.
The Mission San Antonio de Valero, better
known as the Alamo, was moved to its
present location in 1724 due to flooding at its
original site. It originally served as a religious
community, but was converted to a military
post in 1803.
The community grew and thrived over the
years that followed. By the outbreak of the
Texas Revolution in 1835, it was one of the
most important towns in Texas.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Led by "old Ben Milam," Texian forces took
the city in December of 1835. Both Anglo and
Hispanic Texans (the latter known as
Tejanos), defended the city the following year
when a Mexican army arrived under Antonio
Lopez de Santa Anna to retake it from the
revolutionaries.
The defenders retreated into the Alamo,
where they waged one of the most
memorable battles in American history. For
thirteen days the Alamo held, but on March 6,
1836 it fell to Santa Anna's army. David
Crockett, Jim Bowie and William B. Travis
were among the slain.
San Antonio today has grown into one of the
largest cities in both Texas and the country.
The immediate area is home to more than 2
million people and the city is considered one
of the most vibrant, picturesque and historic
communities in the South. To learn more
about some of the key landmarks in San
Antonio, please follow the links below:
the city in December of 1835. Both Anglo and
Hispanic Texans (the latter known as
Tejanos), defended the city the following year
when a Mexican army arrived under Antonio
Lopez de Santa Anna to retake it from the
revolutionaries.
The defenders retreated into the Alamo,
where they waged one of the most
memorable battles in American history. For
thirteen days the Alamo held, but on March 6,
1836 it fell to Santa Anna's army. David
Crockett, Jim Bowie and William B. Travis
were among the slain.
San Antonio today has grown into one of the
largest cities in both Texas and the country.
The immediate area is home to more than 2
million people and the city is considered one
of the most vibrant, picturesque and historic
communities in the South. To learn more
about some of the key landmarks in San
Antonio, please follow the links below:
Spanish Governor's Palace
Completed in 1749, the
palace has been called the
"most beautiful building" in
San Antonio.
Completed in 1749, the
palace has been called the
"most beautiful building" in
San Antonio.
Menger Hotel
The hotel in downtown San
Antonio has housed Teddy
Roosevelt, Robert E. Lee,
Ulysses S. Grant and many
others.
Photos by Christina Martin
The hotel in downtown San
Antonio has housed Teddy
Roosevelt, Robert E. Lee,
Ulysses S. Grant and many
others.
Photos by Christina Martin
The Alamo
Alamo Cenotaph
San Antonio Missions N.H.P.
San Antonio River Walk
Spanish Governor's Palace
San Fernando Cathedral
Battle of San Jacinto
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
Alamo Cenotaph
San Antonio Missions N.H.P.
San Antonio River Walk
Spanish Governor's Palace
San Fernando Cathedral
Battle of San Jacinto
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
| Photos by Christina Martin |
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| Copyright 2011 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. |