Tag Archives: Texas

Cathedral of San Fernando, San Antonio, Texas

This cathedral, located in San Antonio, is the oldest cathedral in North America, and is an active site, acting as the seat of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Natural Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley 2, Calif.


The description states:
SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL
San Antonio, Texas
Built in 1738. It was the old cathedral that Santa Anna made his headquarters during the siege of the Alamo. The church is in daily use.
–This building is part of the larger San Antonio Historic district in the middle of the city which also includes the Alamo. The car in the picture indicates this image dates from the 1950s.

Mission San Juan de Capistrano, San Antonio, Texas

This is the fourth of four missions featured these past several days. The Mission San Juan de Capistrano is often confused with the more famous mission of the same name located in Southern California, and which is famous for its swallow migrations. This was the smallest and least successful of the San Antonio missions.

Natural Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley 2, Calif.


The description states:
MISSION SAN JUAN DE CAPISTRANO
San Antonio, Texas
Established on its present site in 1731. The architecture is completely different from the other missions.
–This mission was extensively renovated in 2012. The foundation was reconstructed to prevent further damage to the walls, and the buttresses that were added in the 20th century have been removed. The walls were also covered in white plaster.
The absence of the large, dark buttresses in this picture indicates it dates to the 1950s.

Mission San Francisco de la Espada, San Antonio, Texas

This modest structure is the main chapel of the Mission San Francisco de la Espada. This mission is noted for its aqueduct, which brings water from the San Antonio river to the mission grounds.

Natural Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley 2, Calif.


The description states:
MISSION SAN FRANCISCO DE LA ESPADA
San Antonio, Texas
Established in 1931, Espada has what is said to be the only intact mission fort. Nearby is an aqueduct constructed by the early missionaries and which is still in use today.
–This is one of four missions in the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. They are all located along the San Antonio River south of the city. The Alamo is not part of this Park, but is owned by the state of Texas.
This postcard likely dates from the 1950s.

Mission Concepcion Main Facade, San Antonio, Texas

This image shows the main entrance to the Mission Concepcion chapel as it exists today. The dual towers are a notable feature of this building, as many such missions erected only one tower for a bell.

Natural Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley 2, Calif.


The description states:
MISSION CONCEPCION
San Antonio, Texas
It was here that the “Battle of Concepcion” was fought on October 29, 1835.
–The Battle of Concepcion was a short pitched battle between a few hundred Mexican soldiers and two small companies of Texian soldiers numbering fewer than 100. The Mexicans hoped to destroy the smaller force before the Texian forces could reunite, but were driven off with many more casualties than the Texians suffered.
–This card likely dates from the 1950s.

Mission Concepcion, San Antonio, Texas

This image shows a bit of the grounds and the main facade of the Mission Concepcion, one of several missions in and around San Antonio, Texas.

Weiner News Co., P.O. Box 8176, San Antonio, Texas


The description states simply:
SA #47 Mission Concepcion
San Antonio, Texas
-This mission was originally founded in East Texas to help in conversion of the local natives, but was moved to the San Antonio area. It is the best preserved of all the missions around San Antonio.
This postcard likely dates from the 1950s.

Brooke Army Hospital, Fort Sam Houston, Texas

This image is of the main hospital building for the Brooke Army Medical Center as it existed in the 1960s. In addition to this, there were other buildings added for treatment and patient housing when this building became too small or had inadequate facilities for modern treatment.

Natural Color by Mike Roberts, Berkeley 2, Calif.


The description states:
BROOKE ARMY HOSPITAL
Brooke Army Medical Center
Fort Sam Houston
San Antonio, Texas
–This older building was replaced in 1997 with a larger, more modern facility on the grounds of Fort Sam Houston where more treatment modalities could be concentrated in a single structure. The older building is now on the Register of Historic Places and is occupied by elements of U.S. Army South.
This image dates from the 1960s.

Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Texas

This is an elevated view of Alamo Plaza in the middle of San Antonio’s downtown. The mission chapel can be seen at the far right foreground with the white roof. This illustrates the urban development that has risen around the mission.

Mirro-Chrome by H. S. Crocker Co., Inc.


The description states:
ALAMO PLAZA
San Antonio, Texas
–The monument in the center of the plaza is a cenotaph, and honors those that died in the siege. The flowers around the monument were replaced in later years with trees, and the monument is somewhat obscured by them now, rather than being visible from all directions.
The building in the right background is the Federal Courthouse, and the building at the extreme right is the Emily Morgan Hotel, named for Emily West, a mixed race woman who lived during the time of the Alamo siege.
This image dates from the 1960s.

Interior of Alamo Chapel, San Antonio, Texas

This image shows the chapel interior, where originally services would be held when the mission was active. Now it is used to display historical artifacts and illustrations for visitors to the park.

Curteich Color 3-D Natural Color Reproduction


The description states:
THE INTERIOR OF THE ALAMO
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
–Note the signs posted along the side of the reception desk at right. One unusual one states “Gentlemen will remove hats Please”. This is likely posted because this was once a sanctuary.
The card dates from the 1960s.

Alamo Mission Chapel and Park, San Antonio, Texas

This image shows the front of the mission chapel from a slightly different angle, with the paths and grass of the park more clearly shown. The flag flying on the left of the building is the state flag of Texas, called the Lone Star flag.

C-14643 – Color Photo by Bill Kobert


The description states:
THE ALAMO
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
“Cradle of Texas Liberty”
–The flag shown was not present during the siege, and another, the Alamo flag, was also not likely present at the battle. There are no definitive records of the flag used.
This card dates from the 1960s.