Historical Markers in
Bexar County, Texas

250th Anniversary of the Founding of San Antonio 9th Cavalry at San Pedro Springs Acequia de Arriba Acequia Madre de Valero (Main Irrigation Ditch of Valero Mission) Adina de Zavala Adina Emilia de Zavala Alamo Cenotaph Alamo Iron Works Alamo Low Barracks and Main Gateway Alamo Masonic Cemetery Alamo Portland and Roman Cement Company Aldrete Houses Alejo de la Encarnacion Perez Alexander and Alma Oppenheimer Halff House Alfred Giles Home Altgelt-Isbell House Anna Barbara and Johann Engelbert Heidgen House Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Cemetery Anton Wulff House Aqueduct Arsenal Magazine Barbed Wire Barbed Wire Demonstration "Battle" of Adams Hill Battle of Rosillo Battle of the Alazan Battle of the Salado Belgian Transit of Venus Observation Site Belknap Place Benjamin Grossenbacher House Benjamin Rush Milam Bexar County under Nine Governments Biesenbach House Boldtville Schoolhouse Book Building Bowen's Island Bowie and Fannin, Site of Camp Building 100 "Taj Mahal" Bullis House Caile House Caile House Camp of Stephen F. Austin Capt. Jose Antonio Menchaca Captain Lee Hall Carl Wilhelm August Groos House Casa Villita Casino Club Central Catholic High School Central Christian Church Chabot House Charles Frederick King Chihuahua Trail Christ Episcopal Church Christopher Columbus Italian Society Hall Clara Driscoll (April 2, 1881-July 17, 1945) Coker Cemetery Col. George Wythe Baylor Colonel Edward Miles Colonel Jose Francisco Ruiz Commerce Street Bridge Committee on Public Safety Confederate Cemetery Confederate Cemetery Confederate Tannery Cos House Council House Fight Cover Cemetery Davenport Cemetery David J. and May Bock Woodward House Dawson Massacre Dodd Field (Fort Sam Houston) Enemy Alien Detention Station, World War II Dominguez-Micheli Houses Don Jose de Jesus Rodriguez Don Jose Miguel de Arciniega Don Juan Ximenes Dr. Claudius E. R. King House Eagar House Edens Cemetery Edward H. White II Memorial Hangar, Brooks Air Force Base El Carmen Cemetery (Cementerio del Carmen) El Quartel (El Cuartel) Elias and Lucy Edmonds House Emil Elmendorf House Emma Tenayuca Engleman-Muench House Enoch Jones Farmstead Enrique Esparza (September, 1824-December 20, 1917) Erasmo Seguin Ernst Homestead Evers Family Cemetery Father of Mexican Independence Fest-Steves Block Fiesta House First Officers Training Camp First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, 4th U.S. Army Headquarters Quadrangle Francisco Madero in Texas Georg Heinrich Buchsenschutz Family Cemetery George Isbell Home Gerfers Cemetery (HTC) German-English School Gilbeau Slave Quarters Goliad Road Gould-Onderdonk House Groos National Bank Guenther's Upper Mill, Site of Gugger Homestead Gustav Blersch House Halff House Hamilton P. Bee Hangar Nine Harrison and McCulloch Stage Stop Heidemann Family Cemetery (HTC) Helotes Hendrick Arnold Home of Samuel Augustos Maverick Huebner-Onion Homestead and Stagecoach Stop In Re Ricardo Rodriguez Incarnate Word College Italian American Community in San Antonio J.M. and Birdie Nix House Jack Hays House James Nathaniel Fisk Jay Adams House Jefferson Davis Smith John Hermann Kampmann John "Jack" Coker John Lang Sinclair John Salmon "Rip" Ford John T. Floore Country Store John Twohig Homesite John W. Smith Jose Antonio Navarro Jose Francisco Ruiz Kelly Air Force Base "Kelly No. 2" Flight Line King William Neighborhood Krause House/Mann's Crossing Post Office L. B. Clegg House La Quinta de las Piedras (Miguel Menchaca House) La Villita Little Church of La Villita Locke Hill Auditorium Lockhill School Ludwig Mahncke Lydia Mendoza Madison Square Presbyterian Church Majestic Theatre Marnoch Homestead Mary Virginia Burkholder Matamoros Road Maverick-Carter House McCulloch Cemetery Menger Hotel Menger Soap Works Mission Concepcion Mission San Francisco de la Espada (Mission St. Francis of the Sword) Mission San Francisco de la Espada Dam, Ditch and Aqueduct Mission San Franscico Xavier de Najera Mission San Jose Mission San Juan Capistrano Mission San Juan Capistrano Monte Vista Historic District Moos Homestead Moses Austin Moses Lapham Myra Lillian Davis Hemmings Navarro Houses Newcombville Norton-Polk-Mathis House O. Henry House Oak Island Methodist Church and Cemetery Old Edward Steves (Stevens) House Old Houston Road Old Military Headquarters Old Military Hospital Old Mill on the Pajalache Acequia Old Powder Mill Old S. J. Brooks Home Old San Antonio National Bank Building Old San Pedro Springs Old St. Mary's College Oscar and Rachel Berman House Otto Koehler House Our Lady of the Lake University Pan American Round Table Pereida House Perote Prisoners Perrin Home Petty House Placido Olivarri Plaza De Armas (Military Plaza) Polish Quarter Portland Cement Plants Protestant Home for Destitute Children R.L. White Ranch Rambie-Lewis Family Cemetery Rechel-Stumpf House Robert B. Evans Home Route of El Camino Real Roy and Madge Hearne House Ruiz House Ruiz-Herrara Cemetery Saint Hedwig Saint John's Lutheran Church (San Antonio) Saint Mark's Episcopal Church Saint Mary's, Old, Site Of Saint Philip's College Saint Philip's Episcopal Church Salado Valley Salem Cemetery Samuel S. Smith San Antonio Casino Club Building San Antonio High School San Antonio Mutual Aid Association San Antonio River Walk (Paseo Del Rio) San Antonio Section, National Council of Jewish Women San Fernando Cathedral San Francisco Di Paola Catholic Church San Pedro Creek Sartor House Scenic Loop - Boerne Stage - Toutant-Beauregard Historic Corridor Scenic Loop Playground Schultze Hardware Store Schulze-Schilo House Scottish Rite Cathedral Second Baptist Church of San Antonio Silvestre Revueltas Simona Smith Fisk Site of de la Garza House, Gardens and Mint Site of First Portland Cement Plant Site of Geier and Schmid Farm Site of Idlewild Community Site of Old St. Mary's Site of Old Veramendi House Site of Original Building, First Baptist Church Site of Rincon/Douglass School Site of the Home of Dr. Ferdinand Ludwig Herff Site of the Old Adobe Spanish and Mexican Land Grants Spanish Governor's Palace St. Anthony Catholic School St. John's Lutheran Church, "the Rooster Church" St. Joseph's Church St. Mark's Episcopal Church St. Mary's University St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church St. Paul United Methodist Church St. Paul's Epsicopal Church St. Philip's College (original site) Staacke Brothers Building Station "X" Stevens Building Steves Homestead Stinson Airport Stockman Building Sunshine Ranch Surrender of Federal Forces by General David E. Twiggs T. C. Frost and the Frost Bank T. C. Frost Wool Warehouse Texas' First All-Spanish Radio Program The Alamo The Argyle The Battle of the Medina The Bexar County Courthouse The Canary Islanders The Casas Reales The Grass Fight The Oge House The Pajalache Acequia (Ditch) The Pershing Chinese The Rev. John Wesley DeVilbiss The Southwell Company The Woll Invasion The Woman's Club of San Antonio Thiele Cottage Thomas Jefferson High School Toltec Apartments Travis Park United Methodist Church Twohig House United States San Antonio Arsenal Ursuline Convent and Academy Venustiano Carranza in San Antonio Vicinity of the Storming of Bexar Vogel Cemetery Vollrath Building W. B. Teagarden House Wesley Peacock House Wetmore Community Cemetery William and Mary Ann Richter House Wolfson House Young Perry Alsbury Yturri Homestead and Mill Zambrano House Zero Milestone Old Spanish Trail Zion Lutheran Church Zion Lutheran Church and Cemetery
The first oil well in the United States was drilled in Texas in 1859. The discovery of oil transformed the economy of the state and helped to make Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation.
Bexar County, Texas, holds a significant place in the history of the Lone Star State. Native American tribes thrived in the region for centuries before the arrival of European explorers. In 1718, the Spanish established the Mission San Antonio de Valero, known as the Alamo, which became a symbol of Texas' fight for independence. The area came under Mexican control after Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821.

During the Texas Revolution in 1836, the Battle of the Alamo took place, where a small group of Texan defenders valiantly fought against Mexican forces. Although the defenders ultimately lost, their bravery and sacrifice galvanized the Texan cause. Soon after, the Republic of Texas was established, and Bexar County was officially created in 1837, named after San Antonio de Béxar.

Bexar County played a vital role in the westward expansion of the United States. It became part of the United States when Texas joined as the 28th state in 1845. The county saw significant growth with the construction of railroads, the establishment of military bases like Fort Sam Houston, and the influx of European immigrants. In 1968, HemisFair '68 brought international attention to the county, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and attracting visitors from around the world. Today, Bexar County is known for its vibrant tourism industry, robust military presence, renowned healthcare institutions, and prestigious educational establishments.

This timeline provides a condensed summary of the historical journey of Bexar County, Texas.

  • Pre-19th Century: The region that would become Bexar County was inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Coahuiltecan and Lipan Apache.

  • 1718: The Spanish established the Mission San Antonio de Valero, known today as the Alamo, in what is now downtown San Antonio. This marked the beginning of Spanish colonization in the area.

  • 1821: Mexico gained independence from Spain, and the region came under Mexican control.

  • 1836: The Battle of the Alamo took place during the Texas Revolution, where a small group of Texan defenders fought against Mexican forces. Though the defenders were ultimately defeated, their resistance became a symbol of Texas independence.

  • 1837: The Republic of Texas officially established Bexar County, naming it after San Antonio de Béxar, the former Spanish name for the area.

  • 1845: Texas joined the United States as the 28th state.

  • 1861-1865: During the American Civil War, Bexar County remained part of the Confederacy.

  • Late 19th-early 20th century: The county saw growth and development with the expansion of railroads, the establishment of military bases like Fort Sam Houston, and the arrival of European immigrants.

  • 1968: HemisFair '68, a world's fair, was held in San Antonio, bringing national and international attention to the city and the county.