Gone but not forgotten in San Antonio! (Alamo, Fredericksburg: ranked, mechanic)

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by Eily71

I did a thumb thru of A PLACE IN TIME....no mention of Avoca. This book actually has very little text...just enough to make one curious lol. Finding nothing in the book , I decided to google and found the reference to the apartments which from the way the reference reads, are part of Incarnate Word student housing. Another link led me to the Early San Antonio History thread on this forum and a post by wCat from 22 February 2007.



So it sounds as if the lost Irish settlement of Avoca is in the Olmos Basin area and may even be underwater due to the dam. Maybe wCat has more info on this?

There are more stories regarding Davy Crockett and his very short stay in San Antonio. That is what makes a hero of mythical proportions, which Crockett and the other defenders have become. Davy Crockett was in San Antonio not quite a month before the Alamo siege began and he stayed in town.....the areas around LaVillita and San Fernando Cathedral. When I worked at the Alamo as a guide, we actually kept a list of stories concerning Crockett and the other defenders. I wish I had copied it before I left in 1982.

As I said in my post upthread....DRT Library is a wonderful place to immerse yourself in the history of the Alamo, San Antonio and Texas in general. Warning: One path WILL lead to another ! lol

And being the trivia addict I am, I googled the meaning of Avoca...."great estuary", "where the bright waters meet" "where the river meets the bay/sea" or "the meeting of waters". There is no fact too obscure, no bit of trivia too small, lol.

Anyway, hope wCat's post helped.

Thanks, that is helpful and jives with what little info I've found, Except it sounds like the Village was abondoned or "lost" before the dam was built.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by 940

'A Place In Time' is hard to get now but I did find this...

MCLEMORE, DAVID - A Place in Time: A Pictorial View of San Antonio's Past

I'll also try to find my copy to see if it mentions Avoca...or maybe Eily71 can check for you!
I actually have a lot of old San Antonio picture books..I should start scanning pics and putting some of them on here...

Please do, I think we would all love to see them.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by 940

'A Place In Time' is hard to get now but I did find this...

MCLEMORE, DAVID - A Place in Time: A Pictorial View of San Antonio's Past

I'll also try to find my copy to see if it mentions Avoca...or maybe Eily71 can check for you!
I actually have a lot of old San Antonio picture books..I should start scanning pics and putting some of them on here...

Any pictures of the old Wolfe's Inn, or anything from the Wurzbach farm in there?

[GWhopper]

Found another slight mention of the village of Avoca on the San Antonio Parks and recreation site:

"This area of San Antonio remained largely undeveloped until the mid-19th century. An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1839 to found the town of Avoca in the area of today’s Alamo Heights. It was not until 1852, when the City began disposing of its public lands, that construction began this far north of downtown. That year, the City sold the Headwaters of the San Antonio River to a City alderman, J.R. Sweet who built his home there. A short distance to the south, the City began leasing its hard rock quarry for commercial use. During the Civil War, the Confederacy used land in today’s Koehler Park for a tannery to produce leather for military supplies."

[Fujifrontier]

Adventure Golf Services :: Pear Apple County Fair

[Willsatx]

Thanks Fuji, very cool pics. It brought back many memories.

[940]

Originally Posted by Fujifrontier

Adventure Golf Services :: Pear Apple County Fair

I remember when they built this but it didn't seem to last too many years. I came back to SA one visit to see the folks some years back, and on one of my 'exploratory' drives around the city, I noticed it was closed and signs were down. I never really knew what had happened to it.

[sydsmom143]

In regards to that cement building- located in a place we used to call "The Trails" kinda by "Devil's Den"...If it is the same place you are talking about (on the left hand side of Ingram Road if you are headed towards the mall...) My family and I move to SA in 1976 and it was abandoned back then. I think we heard that it was once more or less what you described it as- a place where rocks were loaded. But, as I said- it had been abandoned for over 30 years....we used to explore that area as kids alot...

[BrianW]

Does anyone else remember buying your football lineup at Alamo Stadium in the 60s? The Light would print a couple of pages with lineups, pictures, etc. and display it as the first section of the regular newspaper. I can still remember the young boys saying "line up, line up?" as we would go into the stadium.

I also remember the "back" area of the stadium being almost rustic and very hilly. I guess that's where 37/281 runs now!

Sorry, I haven't lived in SA since '84, so I may be using old names of roads...

It's also hard to believe that the area around my old church (South Presa) is now fashionable and called "Southtown". We were VERY near the Victoria Courts, which were VERY rough in the 60s and 70s (and progressively got worse). I had heard that the area was being redeveloped. There were/are some nice homes (some large) in that area that could "clean up" well.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by BrianW

Does anyone else remember buying your football lineup at Alamo Stadium in the 60s? The Light would print a couple of pages with lineups, pictures, etc. and display it as the first section of the regular newspaper. I can still remember the young boys saying "line up, line up?" as we would go into the stadium.

I also remember the "back" area of the stadium being almost rustic and very hilly. I guess that's where 37/281 runs now!

Sorry, I haven't lived in SA since '84, so I may be using old names of roads...

It's also hard to believe that the area around my old church (South Presa) is now fashionable and called "Southtown". We were VERY near the Victoria Courts, which were VERY rough in the 60s and 70s (and progressively got worse). I had heard that the area was being redeveloped. There were/are some nice homes (some large) in that area that could "clean up" well.

You are welcome to this forum any time. All of us would love to hear your recollections!!! Where exactly was your old church?