Can You Guess This Location Near San Antonio? (Mission, New Braunfels: houses, subdivision)

[txtea]

Ahhh....I remember now...

This is the Old D'Hanis St. Dominic Catholic Church. I haven't been there in many years, and the green foliage threw me off....I must have visited there when it was dry and brown. Must have been a pretty church at one time!

[mlhradio]

Originally Posted by txtea

This is the Old D'Hanis St. Dominic Catholic Church. I haven't been there in many years, and the green foliage threw me off....I must have visited there when it was dry and brown. Must have been a pretty church at one time!

Bingo. And here I thought it was going to be an easy one - just goes to show how little I know.

Photo on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/5058334785/ - broken link)

The town of D'Hanis was formed in 1847, the fourth Alsatian colony established by Henri Castro, about 25 miles due west of Castroville along the Old Spanish Road, with just 29 families. The first years were rough, but when Fort Lincoln was established along Seco Creek about three miles to the north, that provided the stability and protection needed for the community to grow (even though the fort was quickly abandoned a couple years later). They began constructing the first part of the stone church in 1853, and it was expanded to its present size in 1868.

When the railroad bypassed the town to the north in 1881, most of the residents picked up and moved along with it. The old town site became known as "Old D'Hanis", and the new town that sprang up along the tracks was "New D'Hanis". The cemetery next to the church was abandoned around 1893, and the church itself saw its last service in 1914. Very little remains of the original town itself, except for the church ruins and a few other stone ruins in the area along the gridded county roads, interspersed among the rural homes and farming fields. New D'Hanis is still a sleepy community of less than a thousand people, about half a dozen small businesses along the main street with US-90 running through the middle of it. In addition to the photogenic stone church ruins, D'Hanis is also known for its red brick, which has been manufactured there since 1883.

I have tons of other photos available as well. For Old D'Hanis, my Flickr photoset is here: Old D'Hanis, Medina County, Texas - Feb. and Aug. 2008 - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/sets/72157608893035197 - broken link)
For New D'Hanis, my Flickr photoset is here: New D'Hanis, Medina County, Texas - Feb. and Aug. 2008 - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/sets/72157609254961903 - broken link)
A very interesting history of D'Hanis, as well as other Medina County locations, is here: Historic Sites

[mlhradio]

Here's a new one, a bit closer to home:



View the photo on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/5064134975/ - broken link)

This tower is located in San Antonio, on the fourth-highest point in elevation in Bexar County.

[Merovee]

Comanche Lookout Park.

[txtea]

That was quick! Glad to see they are trying to preserve the tower instead of letting kids vandalize it. I remember when you could drive a four wheel drive truck to the top of the hill. There used to be a house on top of the hill, close to the tower...you can still see ruins of the foundation. What a perfect spot for a house.....great view!

Thanks so much for the great photos, Mlhradio....I kick myself in the rump for not having a camera with me when I run across interesting places and things on my road trips. Keep em coming!

[SATX56]

Knew this one, been up there before they boarded it up!! Comanche Lookout...made a park of it now I saw.

[mlhradio]

Originally Posted by Merovee

Comanche Lookout Park.

Figured that would be a pretty easy one.


Photo on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/3287262396/ - broken link)

Comanche Lookout Park, San Antonio, TX. Located in the northeast corner of San Antonio, Comanche Lookout is the fourth-highest point in Bexar County (which isn't saying much - it's a hill about a hundred feet above the surrounding plain). For centuries it was used by local indians as a lookout post, and then later by the Spanish. The Old Spanish Road that runs from Mexico to Louisiana runs across the base of the hill (now known as Nacogdoches Road).


After Texas became a state, the land was sold to Mirabeau Lamar (second President of the Republic of Texas), and was a vast expanse covering nearly 1500 acres. Over the decades, it was carved up and sold to various parties. In the early 20th century, then-owner Colonel Edward H. Coppock decided to construct a fanciful fortress on the top of the hill. A four-story stone tower and the foundations for a castle-like house were constructed before he passed away and the project abandoned.


By the 1990's, the hill was known mostly as a local hangout for rowdy teens, who would hold large bonfire parties and drink beer in the foundation pit at the top of the hill. Concerned citizens organized an effort to turn the remaining undeveloped land (by now whittled down to 96 acres) into a city park. Over the years, the park has been continually improved with several hiking trails and walking paths, picnic facilities and playgrounds.

[mlhradio]

Here's a new one located in a tiny, tiny community outside of San Antonio. I bet it'll be a toughie:



Photo on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthigh/5070022216/ - broken link)

[Sweetie Pie]

Originally Posted by mlhradio

Here's a new one located in a tiny, tiny community outside of San Antonio. I bet it'll be a toughie:

Is it the Fischer Bowling Cub?

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by Sweetie Pie

Is it the Fischer Bowling Cub?

We have a winner!!

Fischer, Texas, The Wimberley Area - Fischer Store and the Bowling Alley