"Secret School" in the Olmos Basin (San Antonio, Nacogdoches: condo, attorney)

[wCat]

Originally Posted by AirForceDoc

This all sort of reminds me of a group of hippies that used to live in the hills above Simi Valley in California, near where the Manson gang would hide out. They would run around in robes and no shoes. My dad and his friends used to go hiking and they'd hear rustling in the bushes and when they looked through the brush they could see these people walking away in the robes and such. Lots of weird stuff in the 60's I guess. Anyway, a bit off topic, but all the Olmos Basin comments brought this to mind.

So....to bring this whole thing together, how does the Taylor Street house connect to the blue hole and the long straight path in the woods? Are they in close proximity?

Hi Doc......Ozzy mentioned somewhere that the Observatory house is mentioned in one of Whitley's books. I'm not sure which one...hopefully Ozzy will check in and let us know.

[OzzyRules]

It's in the book "The Secret School."

I think the author is kind of a flake for the most part, though. I just found this book interesting because it was set in San Antonio.

[GermanTexan]

Actually part of the academy is still there, and a Lukin descendant lives in it. He is a history buff too, and I would be happy to let him know y'all are interested. I respect his privacy, so email me off-list and I will forward your letter to him.

I'll ask him about the Blue Hole too.

[Fujifrontier]

War Day was a really good book by streiber

[maluminse]

Originally Posted by OzzyRules

That's a valid theory.

Or the secret school was in the Lukin military school, basement, attic, yard etc.

[GWhopper]

Here's a site with great pictures of the blue hole a map:

San Antonio Springs

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by Eily71

I snapped a couple of pictures of the observatory house when I was in SA a few weeks ago. Advance apologies....I am not the best photographer...just lean a little to level the shot lol. Also the original images were HUGE so I played around with sizing and cropping.

I remember this house from when I worked downtown in the early Seventies. Seems there were a couple of other houses as well, but they are no longer there. I may have mistaken the Toltec Apartments next door as other houses. It was a long time ago and the area looks a bit different than it did back then. The trees and other foliage were way more overgrown than it is today and gave it a rather intriguing air. Or it could have been just my overactive imagination lol. I have to admit a house with an observatory was one of the last things I would have expected to come across in the middle of downtown San Antonio.

The first picture is actually the back of the house and was taken from the pay parking lot. I tried to get a front shot, but it didnt work out at all. In the second picture you can just make out the observatory at the top along with a section of the upper floor. I took this one from the parking lot of the Toltec Apartments next door to the house. As wCat said in her post, the house is now in use as a law firm, Carter and Van Steenberg. At least it hasnt been torn down. It still looks to be a neat old place...still intriguing.

What is really interesting is that there is no listing for law firm called Carter and Van Steenberg, neither in the yellow pages, through google, or through Find Law or any other lawyer's directory I could find. There is a lawyer named Virginia Van Steenberg who has an office about two blocks away from the building.

[GWhopper]

This is kind of cool, I've been looking for the Secret School book at Half-priced bookstores, and had no luck. Tonight I was having dinner with my wife at the newly re-opened Ding How. As we were leaving, I said "Let me go see if that used bookstore in Loehman's Village is open". I got there just after 6 as they were closing, but the kindly gentleman there told me to go ahead and look. So I did and found a hardcover copy. The neat thing is, I came home and started to read it, and on the title page is this handwritten note:

For Bill Mallow, who is not afraid of science (one of a tiny, tiny band!)
Thank you for becoming my friend.
Whit Steiber

[GWhopper]

I just googled Bill Mallow, and found this site by Streiber discussing him:

Whitley Strieber's Unknown Country

[GWhopper]

I need a little help here. Who is going to help me keep this thread alive? Has anybody else tried to find this place?