The Blue Hole

This post is not about an old building, it is about a natural feature, the Blue Hole, that pertains to the last post about the Upper Pump House.  It is historically significant since water was vitally important to the early settlers, as it is to our community today.

This is the ampitheatre in the Botanical Garden.  During the years of the Water Works Company, this was the reservoir for the water pumped from the Upper Pump House which was located 1/2 mile below the Blue Hole, the official headwaters of the San Antonio River.

This is the Blue Hole as it looks today, bone dry.  A combination of drilling artesian wells and exteme drought took its toll on the spring.  It will begin to flow again when the Edwards Aquifer reaches a certain level; however, the Aquifer is currently far below that level.  In the 1940's the Blue Hole was dry, and did not begin to flow again until a significant rain in the early 1970's brought the water level up. When there is water flowing form the spring it has a bluish cast, thus the name.

It is thought that the first Spaniards to have visit the Springs were members of a 1691 expedition led by Domingo Teran de los Rios and Father Damian Massanet who were enroute to visit the missions in East Texas.   Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares would visit the site in 1709 and thought it would make an ideal location for a mission. He would return in 1718 to establish the first mission, San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo) in its first location two miles west of the Blue Hole.

Early descriptions of the head waters describe the water as gushing several feet in the area with lush vegetation surrounding the waters.  The Eurpoeans delighted in the water source that had drawn the native peoples to the area for centuries.  Each of the missions would build acequias to bring the fresh water from the river to the mission. 

This area is part of the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word and is a protected area of over 50 acres.  A plaque on the rock wall explains that George W. Brackenridge built the concrete surround to protect the spring; it goes down to within a few feet of the Edwards Aquifer.  The rock wall was added in later years as additional protection.In 2008 the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity formed The Headwaters Coalition, a non-profit, sponsored ministry dedicated to spreading an ecological ethic and protecting this forested area that includes the Blue Hole and Olmos Creek.

In the 1890's there was still enough water here to make this a popular spot to come on Sunday afternoons.  A small dam was constructed that created a long, wide lake.  I wanted very badly to hike down this dry river bed; only the signs that asked for respect for the protected area kept me out.

This volleyball court was once a spring fed pool!

George W. Brackenridge would build his beautiful home on this property and name it Fern Ridge.  Today the home sits just beyond the volleyball court and is known as Brackenridge Villa.

Upper Pump House

The Upper Pump House (AKA Pump House #1)



I have been in and out of Brackenridge Park for many years, yet I had never noticed this old rock structure with its twin tunnels until recently. Amazingly, I had driven by the street side of the building and never thought about what it was, or might have been. When I noticed the structure from across the river I was puzzled about it, especially since I had never noticed it before.  So I crossed the river to explore it and was even more intrigued. There was a plaque that I started reading, just skimming through until I realized that one of the pictures was the Amphitheatre in the Botanical Garden.  I realized that I needed to start over and re-read carefully! With a little more research I realized that this structure had an amazing past.

In 1877, the city of San Antonio gave a contract to J. B. LaCoste and his associates for supplying the city with water from the spring at the head of the San Antonio River. The San Antonio Water Supply Company built a raceway and a pump house a half-mile below the headwaters on the property of George W. Brackenridge. 

Water falling from the end of the raceway had sufficient force to operate a large turbine which was connected to plunger pumps, forcing water uphill to the reservoir,  located in what is today the San Antonio Botanical Garden.  From there it was distributed by gravity to taps in people's yards (at that time, there was no indoor plumbing).

The current drought-like conditions give a good view of the tunnels

 

A water works plant had been in discussion since 1869 when Brackenridge's mother bought the property; even before then there had been debate about the ownership of the headwaters, known then and now as the Blue Hole.   The springs had become contaminated by outhouses and garbage; typhoid fever and malaria were rampant in San Antonio.  In 1866 a devastating cholera epidemic caused the community to realize there was a link between sanitation and disease; it desperately needed a method of water distribution that would eliminate the possibility of contamination.

There was much discussion and many talks, but nothing could be agreed upon.  Government and politicians moved slowly then, just like now, and there were several failed attempts to start a water system.  Brackenridge was determined that the city should own the springs, and had even offered to sell them to the city provided that they never be sold again;  that offer would also fail because the price could not be negotiated.



LaCoste had expected hundreds of people to sign up for service, the number was in the tens, and the unprofitable water works was sold to Brackenridge in 1883. Under his direction and foresight, the struggling water works system was built into a valuable asset.  In 1885 Brackenridge foresaw the possibility of the original plant being insufficient to meet the city's growing needs, and he purchased property along the River about a mile downstream where he built a second raceway and pumping plant to move spring waters to the reservoir. That structure is also still standing today.



This is the street-side view of the pump house

In 1888, from his observations of the wildly fluctuating spring flows, Brackenridge became convinced there was danger of complete failure of the springs as a source of water for the city. In 1889 and 1890, he drilled large artesian wells into the Edwards Aquifer, some of the first Edwards' wells. Spring flows became much less important as a water supply source.  Brackenridge's concerns were proved right when a long drought and the drilling of more Edwards' wells did impact the flows of the springs in the late 1890's.
 
Brackenridge was heartbroken and unable to watch the demise of his beloved springs.  He decided to sell 280 acres including the Blue Hole to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word for $120,000, and in 1899 his Water Works Company donated 343.73 acres of land for the establishment of Brackenridge Park. In 1925 the Water Works Company was sold to the city of San Antonio, and operates today as the San Antonio Water System.

Next post:  The Blue Hole

Decker UMC

I've gone to a facility near Austin several times in the last two years for dog shows.  The route to the facility takes me by this pictuersque little church and I always want to stop and read the marker, and of course, make pictures.  Yesterday I finally had a chance to stop and explore. 

The community of Decker is about 8 miles east of downtown Austin, Texas.  The first settlers in this area were Swedish immigrants who arrived around 1867.  They worshipped in churches in Austin until 1871 when the Reverend C.C. Charnquist began to preach in homes; a church would be built and dedicated on Pentecost Sunday, 1879. In 1884 the church was enlarged and a parsonage was built.  By this time there was also a public school in the community; by 1907 there were two teachers and sixty students in the school. There was a community cemetery, as well as the one next to the church.

The church's bell - I wonder if they still ring it on special occasions

The current building was built between 1901 and 1902 under the pastorate of Reverend C.O.Freeman, with the modern addition (on the right) being added in 1967.

This is the side of the church, looking somewhat northeast.  I'm not sure what happened with the siding, it appears to be storm damage, but it does reveal a layer of a prior type of siding.

Whether you are traveling north or south on Decker Lane the view of the church is charming. There has only been limited development around the church, so I feel like it still looks much like it did a hundred years ago.

As luck would have it, they were having a family reunion in the church so there were cars blocking the view for pictures, and I didn't want to explore around too much and intrude on the gathering. But the next time I go by I will stop again.  (Go to church's website to see a picture of the church without cars.)

Arneson River Theatre

This stage is a well known landmark in San Antonio.  It is the stage for the Arneson River Theatre.  Thousands of plays and community events have been held here since its completion in 1940.  It is also a popular venue for weddings.  Each summer it is the host to Fiesta Noche Del Rio.  But where does the audience sit?

Answer:  On grassy steps across the river!  This allows unobstructed views of the stage and the river gives an acoustic boost to the performers.  It is a part of the La Villita Historic Arts Village (watch for a future post on this).

The Arneson River Theatre was built between 1938 and 1940 with funds from the New Deal.  It was built as a Works Progress Administration project.  I had read this somewhere, but wasn't sure until today.  As I walked through the arched gateway in the above picture there was the simple plaque.

In this picture the stage of the theatre is in the right foreground, seating is on the left.  The bridge is one of several along the Riverwalk that allow pedestrians to cross the river.  This bridge is known as "Rosita's Bridge" named after Rosita Fernandez, a popular local singer that performed frequently at the theatre until her retirement in 1982.

Old Blanco County Courthouse

West entrance (faces Highway 281)

This is the Old Blanco County Courthouse located in Blanco, Texas.  It was built in 1885-1886 and was officially put into use on January 29, 1886 as the Blanco County Courthouse; however, four years later the county seat would be moved to nearby Johnson City.  The building's many uses in the following eighty years are described at the Old Blanco County Courthouse website.




North entrance

Frederick Ernst Ruffini was the building's architect.  He advertised himself as a designer of courthouses, jails, and public and commercial buildings. He passed away in November, 1885 while this building was still under construction.  Also under construction at that time was another of his designs, the Old Main Building at the University of Texas.



South and east entrances

Preservation efforts began in 1986 after the building had fallen into disrepair.  When townspeople learned that the building was going to be dismantled and moved to a private location they came together in an effort to stop the move.  They were successful and were able to pass a Historic District ordinance to protect other buildings. 

Click here to see a picture of the building with a "Help Save Me" banner and to read the entire preservation story.  This picture is kind, the building looked far worse in reality!  I remember driving by several times and seeing some fund raising effort going on and thinking, "Go People, Go!" and wishing them success.  Now I'm older and wiser and I would pull over and buy a plate of barbeque or whatever to help out a group like this!  I also remember from the news reports that it was a tough battle.  But they were successful and in May 1998 the Old Blanco County Courthouse was rededicated.

In a future post I'll open one of the doors and explore the inside of the building!

Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo part 2

As I drove up to the mission I had to stop to make this picture because I had the sudden realization that this was exactly the view that travelers approaching from the south would have seen when the mission was functioning.  I can only imagine what a welcome sight it was to weary travelers who knew that soon they would be safe within the compound walls. Today there is city all around the mission, but it appears isolated from this view.

 

 

The grist mill was restored in the 1930's with funding from the National Society of Colonial Dames in Texas.  It was running in this picture; the park ranger had just finished filling the bowl on the floor with ground wheat.

 

 

 

These stones in the plaza represent the foundation of a workshop discovered during restoration work.  In mission times the Indians lived in quarters in the walls around the plaza. Originally there were just dwellings and no walls, but increasing Apache raids necessitated the enclosure of the mission with a solid wall.  Workshops for blacksmithing and weaving and other mission activities were also in the walls.  By the 1930's the walls were non-existent with roads crossing over the plaza. 

 

When I brought my Girl Scout troop to tour the mission, we ate our picnic lunch in the plaza. I'm not sure if they would let us do that again!  But the girls did not leave any trash behind, they were very mindful of being respectful while on the grounds. 

 

 



These arched walls are all that remain of the convento where the Franciscan priests lived.  Benedictine priests from Pennsylvania lived at the mission from 1859 to 1868.  They were brought to the mission as part of a program to revive San Jose.  

 

 

They began a restoration project on the convento which was left unfinished. Their renovation added the pointed Gothic arches.

 

The interior of the chapel recently went under another complete makeover.  The roof had completely collapsed prior to restoration in the 1930's; for many years  prior to that the mass was held in the sacristy with worshipers standing outside.  Today San Jose is an active parish. It is not uncommon to see a wedding or baptism taking place when you visit.  The church itself is owned and maintained by the Catholic Church, thus avoiding conflict of church and state.

 

 

As with any old property, the maintenance and renovation process is constant.  Due to work on the chapel I did not take a picture of the Rose Window because of equipment and wall coverings being in the way. I thought I had one from prior visits but I can't find it, so I'll just have to go back!

Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo (part 1)

 



Mission San Jose was established in 1720, by the Catholic Church and Spain for the purpose of transforming natives into loyal, productive Spanish citizens in an effort to establish colonies in this part of New Spain.  Mission San Antonio de Valero had been founded in 1718 and three other missions would later be relocated from East Texas.  This group of missions were moderately successful in their mission work.  Mission San Jose was relocated to this location in 1740. 

 

After secularization was completed in 1824 San Jose would fall into disrepair.  Fortunately, through the work of the San Antonio Conservation Society, federal New Deal agencies, state and local agencies the mission was saved from destruction.  Today the five missions form the San Antonio Missions National Park.

 



Chapel doorway

 

Ornate carvings and bright geometric designs painted on the chapel wall earned Mission San Jose the title of "Queen of the Missions".

The door on the right is the stairway to the bell tower.  The wooden steps (barely visible) were hand hewn by Indian workers from single blocks of wood.  The bell tower collapsed in 1928.  The roof  and church dome had collapsed in 1874. The massive wooden doors on the chapel had disappeared and the sagging doorway had been propped up.  The statues and carvings had been destroyed by souvenir hunters who took away chipped off pieces.





The granary

This granary could hold enough grain to feed the mission for a  year.  When restoration efforts began its roof was also missing and cows and bootleggers where its inhabitants. The roof was restored by the WPA.



Interior of the granary

The first time I visited San Jose was in the fall of 1976.  It was a cool, crisp day outside, but when I walked into the granary I immediately felt the warmth of a small fire burning in the fireplace (left side).  I doubt they burn fires in there any more, but it was an amazing experience to feel that warmth from all the way across the room.  The object at the back of the room is a glassed in, narrated diorama that shows the mission as it was in mission times.  I suspect the painting on the roof dates to the WPA project, but have not confirmed that.  Note the distinctive line of where the original wall meets the restored roof.



Side view of granary (entrance is just beyond the first buttress)

(to be continued)