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Clipping Files

This collection of files includes newspaper and magazine clippings, independent research, pamphlets, programs, and other ephemeral materials relating to local, regional, and state history. The files are organized alphabetically by subject. Although the files cannot be checked out from the library, most materials in them may be photocopied.

Search the Subject Index

Click on the letters below to search the subjects. The number of files on a particular subject is indicated in parentheses next to the main subject heading.

A B C D-E F-G H I-L M N-Q R S T U-Z

Texas Communities Files

This collection includes clipping files on towns (other than San Antonio) located within the twelve county Alamo Area Council of Governments region. These twelve counties are: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, and Wilson. Files on San Antonio are part of the main clipping file collection (above).

Search the Subject Index

Click here to browse the index, which is organized alphabetically by the name of the town.

The Alamo

The Alamo: An Illustrated Chronology

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library (DRTL)
Non-searchable chronology traces the evolution of the Alamo site from 1716 to 1997. Brief facts provided for each entry frequently reference significant local people and events. Chronology also gives limited information on the urban development of the area surrounding the Alamo. Website includes images from the DRTL collection and a bibliography.

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library

Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRTL)
Part of the Alamo historical complex. The non-circulating collections, including archives and photographs, pertain to the history of Texas, San Antonio, and the Alamo. An online catalog is available.

Bridges

Bridges in Bexar County

James Baughn & contributors
Database of over 25,000 bridges in the US, past and present. Searchable by state.

Historic Bridges of San Antonio (PDF)

City of San Antonio Municipal Archives
An online exhibit featuring historic photos and a narrative history of the city’s oldest bridges.

Building and Sites

Buildings of San Antonio

Emporis.com – “The World’s Web Site about Buildings”
Technical data, photos, and facts about high-rise and other buildings. Searchable by city.

Casa Navarro Historic Site

Texas Historical Commission
Learn about the life of rancher, merchant, and Texas patriot José Antonio Navarro at his original 1850s limestone and adobe home, saved from demolition and deeded to the State of Texas by the San Antonio Conservation Society. Open for tours.

Courthouses of Bexar County 1731 – 1978

Sylvia Ann Santos, Bexar County Historical Commission
Provides history and descriptions of Bexar County’s four courthouses. A bibliography and historic photos of the current courthouse are included.

Historic Properties: San Antonio Conservation Society

San Antonio Conservation Society
Profiles nearly 30 historic structures that the Society either owns or has helped to preserve. Includes thumbnail pictures.

River Walk

Paseo del Rio Association
A chronology of events in the history of the San Antonio River and the development of the famous River Walk that transformed downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio Theatres: Now and Then

Gary Yantis and collaborators
Provides visuals, sounds and text information for current and historic theaters in San Antonio from 1906 to present.

Cemeteries

Bexar County Cemeteries

Texas USGenWeb Archives
A list of cemeteries in Bexar County arranged alphabetically by name, along with the location and notes on where records and published information can be found.

City Cemeteries

City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department
A brief history of the development of the city cemetery complex on the East Side.

San Antonio Public Library
This resource guide includes a compilation of all the City of San Antonio's cemetery records in PDF format.

City Cemetery No. 1

Cemeteries of Texas/Lavonne Bradfield
A history and plot map for the first public cemetery in San Antonio.

Districts & Neighborhoods

Historic Districts in San Antonio

City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation
A short history of each of San Antonio’s historic districts, including photos and a boundary map.

Historic Neighborhood Survey

City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation
An ongoing project of the City and the San Antonio Conservation Society, the survey identifies buildings and districts that are eligible for historic designation. Scroll down to survey summaries for available histories of Collins Gardens, Dilworth Green, Highland Park, Motor Courts and Lodges, Oak Hills, St. Cecilia, Tobin Hill, Uptown, and Woodlawn Place Addition.

Farm & Ranch Complexes

Historic Farm and Ranch Survey

City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation
Between 2003 and 2010, the Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) and the San Antonio Conservation Society (SACS) surveyed and researched 19th century vernacular properties that qualify as Historic Texas Farm and Ranch Complexes. Over 100 properties have been identified within the city limits and the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Scroll to bottom of survey page for individual links.

Genealogy

San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society

This website provides information about the Society’s library, genealogy classes, and publications. Learn how to do genealogical research and what sources are available.

San Antonio Public Library Texana and Genealogy

San Antonio Public Library
See web site for listing of online research guides, including family history, local history, and Texas history. Hours and classes available also listed.

Local and Regional History Resources

Bexar County Deed Records

Bexar County Clerk
Scanned images of public records, including property deeds, can be viewed online and printed. Users must register, but there is no charge.

Bexar County TXGenWeb

TXGenWeb Project
The TXGenWeb project attempts to provide a single entry point for web sites providing information on Texas counties. This site features links to a number of useful research sources for Bexar County, including cemetery information, census data, early city directories, genealogical and historical societies, limited obituaries, photographs, postcards, and more.

HABS/HAER Collection

Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record
Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) are collections of documentary measured drawings, photographs, and written historical and architectural information for over 31,000 structures and site in the United States and its territories. This online collection contains 138 records for Bexar County, including the missions, several military bases, bridges, residences, plus some commercial and public buildings. Several search options, including full-text, are available. Pay attention to the options in the drop-down menus below the search window, since these parameters will affect the search.

Handbook of Texas Online

Texas State Historical Association
The online handbook is a searchable, electronic version of the print encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture. It contains over 23,000 articles covering a wide range of topics, including San Antonio history, architects, and an assortment of historic buildings. Users can search by keyword or browse a listing of articles either alphabetically or by subject. The bibliographies at the end of each article can be extremely useful. No images appear in the online version at this time.

Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC)

University of Texas at San Antonio
A university educational center dedicated to enhancing the understanding of the history and diverse cultures of Texas through exhibits, programs, and publications that encourage acceptance and appreciation of our differences as well as our common humanity. The UTSA Special Collections manuscript and photo collections are housed at the ITC and may be searched through the UTSA Libraries online catalog, UTSA’s digital collections website and Texas Archival Resources Online.

National Register of Historic Places

National Park Service, Department of the Interior
The National Register of Historic Places is the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. The San Antonio Conservation Society Library has National Register nominations for many listed buildings in San Antonio, but the Texas Historical Commission Library is the official repository for National Register nominations from Texas.

San Antonio: Municipal Archives

San Antonio Office of the City Clerk
Digitized collections include ordinances and many other local records.

Texas Historic Sites Atlas

Texas Historical Commission
More than 200,000 site records, including data on Texas Historical Markers, National Register of Historic Places properties, museums, neighborhood surveys, and sawmills. The database is searchable by county, site name, full text of historical markers, or address. The address search allows the user to view maps identifying historic site locations in the vicinity of a known address.

Maps

Bird’s Eye View Maps of Texas

Amon Carter Museum
Bird’s-eye views appear as something between a panoramic view and a map. They were drawn by hand using, most often, two-point perspective to produce a three-dimensional rendering. The city views are surprisingly accurate and represent a much neglected source for understanding the history of Texas. This site showcases fifty-nine Texas views, documenting forty-four different cities.

San Antonio: Municipal Archives

San Antonio Office of the City Clerk
Digitized collections include historic city block maps, 1898-1990; Edward G. Trueheart maps, 1899-1901; and city engineer maps, 1847-1929.

TexasDigital Sanborn Maps

San Antonio Public Library
These maps show the footprints of buildings and are useful for comparing changes in basic physical form over time. Construction materials and use are also indicated, as well as prior street names and addresses. Scroll down the list of resources. You must use your San Antonio Public Library card to log in.

Texas General Land Office Archives

Texas General Land Office
Established in 1837, the Archives consist of land grant records and maps dating to the 18th century that detail the passage of Texas public lands to private ownership. Many of these documents continue to be used even today by surveyors, land men and others researching land ownership.

Parks

City Parks

City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department
Choose a local park from the directory to view its history. Not every park has a history available, but many of the older and larger ones do.

San Antonio Missions National Historic Park

National Park Service
Links found on this page take you to research, management documents, and general information on the history and culture springing from the San Antonio Missions.

What to do if you have to start your research from scratch:

How do i find out how old the building is?
Who owned the bilding? Who was the architect or builder?
What is the building's architectural style?
What did the building originally look like?
Drawings
Photographs
Sanborn Maps

How do you research a historic building?

It depends on the building - in some cases, someone may have already done the research for you. Here are some sources to check first:

Books about local architecture, history, or architects. If you find your building, be sure to read any relevant footnotes and check the bibliography to find out what sources the author used to gather his or her information. You may need to refer to these sources if you want more in-depth information than the author provides.

Clippings files in local libraries. News articles are often a good source of concise historical information, but may not always be 100% accurate. Use the article as a jumping off point for your research and try to confirm the facts through a second source. Clippings files often contain other valuable information such as photocopied documents, correspondence, and brochures.

Historical surveys or historic designations. Surveys (usually conducted by the city planning department or by local historical organizations) often include basic information about a building's history or architectural style. Nomination forms for historic designation typically contain more in-depth documentation of a building's historic significance. Local historical organizations frequently have copies of nominations made at the local, state, or national level. Find out more about types of historic designation.

Historic Designation

There are three levels of historic designation: local, state, and national.

Local designations are handled through the City of San Antonio's Historic Preservation and Design Review Division. Buildings can be designated individually or as part of a historic district (a group of historic buildings within a particular area) The City's Cultural Resources list identifies individual buildings that have been designated historic by the City. A map showing the City's historic districts is available online.

State designations fall under the Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks program administered by the Texas Historical Commission in Austin. These sites may display the distinctive silver-colored metal Texas Historical Marker. You can search for sites with Texas Historical Markers and obtain a copy of the marker text by using the Texas Historic Sites Atlas.

Nationally designated properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although the National Parks Service administers the National Register program, all local nominations must be submitted through the Texas Historical Commission. The Texas Historical Sites Atlas also lets you search for National Register sites in Texas and read the text of the nomination forms. National Register sites may be marked with a rectangular bronze plaque.

How do I find out how old the building is?

You can use city directories to find the approximate date that a building was constructed. These books not only provide alphabetical listings for local residents and businesses each year, but also list local addresses alphabetically by street. Start with the earliest year that you know the building was there, check for that address in the city directory, and keep working your way back until you find the first year that the building isn't listed (you may want to go back one more year, just to rule out a misprint). You can assume that the first year the building doesn't appear (after working backwards) is the year that is was built. The names of the building's occupants, which appear alongside the address, may also be of interest. Sometimes the occupant is identified as a homeowner or a tenant.

Who owned the building? Who was the architect or builder?

The definitive way to determine ownership is through a deed search in the county clerk's office at the local county courthouse. One way to conduct a deed search is to start with the name of the last known owner and work back through deed records, using the alphabetical grantor (seller)/grantee (buyer) index. Keep in mind that the building will most likely be referred to as an "improvement" in the deed description. You can find the name of the current owner through the county tax appraisal office.

Finding out the architect or builder can be difficult, especially for more modest structures. Sometimes deed records will reference a mechanics lien placed on the property by the builder to insure payment for his labor and materials. The city planning department might also have a copy of the building permit, listing the architect or contractor.

Major architectural commissions or buildings dedications are often written about or advertised in the local newspaper, naming the architect or builder involved. The San Antonio Public Library has a collection of Texas newspapers on microfilm at the Central Library. A card index to the articles is searchable by subject.

What is the building's architectural style?

Not every building has an architectural style. However, many historic buildings reflect the shape, materials, and details of a specific style (or combination of styles) that was popular at the time that the building was built. Compare the exterior features of the building to examples in books on architectural style. Most books present the styles chronologically, giving the date range when each style was most popular. Once you know when a building was built, you can start trying to match the appearance of the building to the styles popular at that time. Conversely, if you identify the style first, you can often make an educated guess about the approximate age of the building.

What did the building originally look like?

Sometimes no documentation is available. However, several sources to try are: architectural drawings, historical photographs, and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.

Drawings

The existence of drawings is more likely for a well-known architect or building. You can find architectural drawings of some San Antonio buildings in the collections of the Architecture and Planning Library at the University of Texas at Austin, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, HABS/HAER Collection of the Library of Congress, and the San Antonio Conservation Society Library.

Photographs

You may be able to find historic photographs of the building in local library collections or through the building's previous owners or their heirs. Sometimes photographs may appear in old newspaper articles or other printed material advertising a particular subdivision or a specific architect's work. The San Antonio Conservation Society, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and the Institute of Texan Cultures have historic photographs of various local buildings and streetscapes in their collections.

Sanborn Maps

Both the San Antonio Conservation Society Library and the Texana Department of the San Antonio Public Library (Central branch) have Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for the City of San Antonio. These maps show the footprints of buildings and are useful for comparing changes in basic physical form over time. Construction materials and use are also indicated. Both libraries have the maps on microfilm and in paper form, although the years and volumes available in print may vary.

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- Headquarters: 107 King William Street, San Antonio, TX, 78204

Phone: (210) 224-6163. Fax: (210) 224-6168. Email: conserve@saconservation.org