Old World San Antonio, Unbelievable Architecture of the Missions, Texas. First Photographs 1849-1939

Howdy ya’ll. Today we will look at the oldest known photographs of San Antonio, Texas taken between the years 1849 and 1939. We will focus on the architecture which made San Antonio famous, including the numerous missions along the San Antonio River which define San Antonio’s history.

During this rare and seldom seen collection, we will grapple with the current narrative, which is dominated by periods of growth and destruction. We will look at the first photograph ever taken in Texas, of the Alamo in San Antonio, during the year 1849.

San Antonio has a lengthy history, being one of the earliest and largest cities to take shape in what is today the State of Texas. Let’s break down what the current narrative tells us, and if that doesn’t excite you enough, the collection of 150 of the oldest photographs of San Antonio should appease your appetite. Enjoy, and leave your thoughts and comments down below!

Links for topics discussed today;

[victorponce]

Ok my dad worked for the water system for 30 yrs. He often told me of buried streets while digging up and repairing water mains. So one night he called home while working the night shift. He told to go see what they were doing downtown. It was the City Water Board at that time. In front of the old court house there was the city street(not no more) well a water main had sheared the turning shaft as they were turning it off so it had to be dug up and repaired ok. My dad was a general foremen. He was in charge of this operation. What I saw ( it was 1991--92) was right in front of the old courthouse was the hole the they dug to reach the main. It was 15--18 ft deep and you could clearly see the buried street there. It is comprised of red type heavy superior bricks. Not cheap ones like today. Those bricks I still have them. Talk about mudflood. Yes the old courthouse is a mudflood relic. It is very old and we did not make it. Some other civilation did. Reset happened. My dad saw buried streets around San Antonio. It came with job. Digging EVERYDAY for years till he retired. Geologist didn't have nothing on my dad. Heh heh 😁

[raquelguerra]

What!! Just logged on you tube and see this ! Yeah excited to watch!! I live in San Antonio, Texas born and raised 🤠

[tyleranderson]

San Antonio is so old! I grew up not to far from there and remember tours when I was a kid where they said that the missions were built closer to Spanish cities in the Caribbean like Cartagena built in 1500s. That is most likely the truth, as they are very similar styles . Its only been more recent times that they moved the historical dates up to the 1700s to fix a narrative problem they were having, its just way to early and predates to many other things they need to be earlier on the timeline. Interesting also to hear the real history of the people in the mid 1800s, as it is completely different than what they want it to be, as Texas has to be part of the south, and cannot be anything else. Great work!

[rubee]

I live in SA. There are so many tunnels and barried buildings here .
I went to Saint Mary's Catholic School. There was Saint Mary's Church right across the street and we would take the underground tunnel to church when it would be bad weather. The bricks in that tunnel we're so old looking.

[KWMc]

My mother and grandmother would take us kids on vacations every year in the mid-to-late 60s and early 70s. Our route was Salado, Austin, Aquarena Springs in San Marcos, San Antonio and Port Aransas. We would take short side trips from those locations. Several weeks of fun and learning Texas history every year. I'm thankful they cared enough to teach us the history. I have to say, I loved the ocean but San Antonio was my second favorite. We took the Mission Tour, visited the River Walk, zoo and ate great food, plus other fun things. I live in North Texas but I would be happy living in San Antonio. I'm sure it's changed some since then.

[GRocklaShah]

I've lived here since 1998 and the tunnels are the biggest mystery to me.
A few homes in Alamo Heights have actually discovered extra hallways and rooms under them.
San Antonio also has many retired spies and ranking military personnel.
The Famous Riverwalk is pretty much under ground too... mudflood theory brain food.
Supposedly Camp Bullis has miles of underground tunnels.
The owner of the Pearl Brewery would get there by underground means.
A couple of years ago it was reported that about 10, 000people were living underground.

[itzakpoelzig]

When I was in college I was taking some film classes, and one of the movies they had us watch was about Cabeza de Vaca. I believe the title was just Cabeza de Vaca. It is a very interesting and thought-provoking movie that really gets you into the headspace of an entirely different paradigm. I recommend it to anyone interested in either the region or the time period. I completely forgot most of the movies we watched for class, but that one has stayed with me.

[meganlee]

I’m on the edge of my seat wondering if you’ll mention the underground tunnel that was found under the Alamo in the mid 20th century… it led to a larger tunnel complex under San Antonio and was complete with a masonry staircase that descended under the river. Had the defenders known it was there, they could have escaped being massacred.

[theawkwardobserver]

Ancient city, build by ancient civilisation with advanced technology . Resettled, and repurposed, by modern day settlers . This seems to be common to all "colonies" around the world, suggesting a worldwide civilization . Brilliant vid and excellent research .

[gilbertodominguez]

Where to begin. There was no baptism at the Alamo in 1718 because there was no Alamo then. It was Mission San Antonio de Valero. It wasn't until the early 1800s that it became known as the Alamo. The first settlement was at San Pedro Springs, but these were not and still aren't "hot" springs. San Antonio was named for St. Anthony of Padua, not for Father Antonio Olivares. He's the one who gave the mission its name and I don't think he would've named it after himself. The "San" means "saint, " and Olivares was not then or now a saint. Strangely enough, however, Santa Anna means "St. Ann, " and he did not order that all the missions be destroyed. Supposedly he did want the Alamo destroyed, but it didn't happen, at least it wasn't a total destruction. When talking about Cabeza de Vaca the narrator refers to him as "de Vaca" in a second reference. That is incorrect. His full last name was Cabeza de Vaca, which translates literally to "head of a cow." You need all three elements for the name to make sense, even though it's unusual. There are various theories as to how he got that name. The narrator also mispronounces the names of Ben Milam and Juan Seguin, which made me cringe. There are other problems with the presentation, but I'll leave it there.

[krysta-lynn-K]

I lived in Boerne, 17 miles northwest of San Antonio for two decades. I spent much time stomping around the missions and always knew there was more to the architecture.
In this fantastic video, you have a picture of Fort Davis - the Officer’s Row I believe… at 15:50. It caught my eye because I live in Fort Davis now and there is much mysterious melted “stuff” out here in the Big Bend.

Thank you for your fantastic videos!!!

[dianaromig]

When I saw the Alamo for the first time I couldn’t believe not only how small it was but that it was surrounded by other buildings. I too would like to learn more about the underground tunnels. I live in Dallas and in recent years have learned that there are massive tunnels connecting Dallas to Ft. Worth. I believe that they are all connected around the world. Anyone else? Who and why?

[shereeostrow]

Don't forget that there was a Worlds Fair in San Antonio. They built a needle for it, which is still in operation.

[leopalmonari]

There of skylights in the sidewalks downtown. There are also elevators that are under the steel doors that are built into the sidewalks.

[jthepickle]

German immigrants are noted as populating so many American and Canadian cities, all during the same period, it is a wonder that Germany was not bereft of its population entirely! The English language is suffused with word origins derived from French, but not much with German. With such an influx of German speaking people, one would suppose American English would have been more affected.

[carloslerma]

As a lifetime resident... thank you to all involved in the making of this documentary... failed to mention the aqueducts previously seen only in Greece

[WAR]

Texan here just went to San Antonio for Vacation 2 weeks ago... the Spain/Roman... built Older buildings look maybe 400-500 years old or 1000's Roman..??? Alot of Time and Money went into planning the Streets and Buildings (Roman) style Domes Steeples Arches around felt like time.. seems to slow down there and a peaceful calm feeling at night...possible Ancient Indian.... Holy Site???

[robertsnearly]

Having been to San Antonio twice yet a long time ago, it didn't matter to me what any differences there were, it's the story of the brave men that defended her at that time. The most remarkable experience of having been through The Alamo, was the quiet, the reverence, and the embedded history that I experienced that struck my soul. Perhaps because it was a mission, but I've been in few churches that were that quiet, so with that kind reverence from those like me going through the tour. My respect continues. 😊

[marsdexter]

I grew up next to Salado creek outside of Ft. Sam Houston base. Two landmarks THE DAWSON MASSACRE and THE BATTLE OF SALADO, almost within a mile of each other have been relocated. Oddly all the death around that area translated years later in the neighborhood I grew up. There's a couple of dozen odd deaths of friends I grew up with.

[drivethrupoet]

One thing that's always bugged me is that we're told that the type of granite used for the buildings in Austin cannot be mined anymore, and was brought in after they built a railroad. But I'm thinking that they actually took the huge stone slabs from ancient sites in S Texas. Since they used a lot of prisoners to build it wouldn't be difficult to keep that a secret.