San Pedro Springs Park is located in the
Bexar County
Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Brau ...
city of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. Surrounding the source of the springs, the 46-acre park is the oldest in the state of Texas. It is the location of a
Payaya Indian village known as
Yanaguana,
and is the original site of the city of San Antonio.
The park is alternately known as San Pedro Park. The park was designated a
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...
in 1965. It was added to the
on November 1, 1979.
Although it is often stated that it is the second oldest city park in the United States after
Boston Common
The Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beac ...
, it is at most the tenth oldest after Plaza de la Constitución in San Augustine, Florida among others.
History, first European contact, founding of San Antonio
Archaeological findings have uncovered evidence that human presence in the area dates back 12,000 years.
The earliest recorded inhabitants of the springs were the
Payaya people
The Payaya people were Indigenous people whose territory encompassed the area of present-day San Antonio, Texas. The Payaya were a Coahuiltecan band and are the earliest recorded inhabitants of San Pedro Springs Park, the geographical area that ...
, who referred to their village as
Yanaguana .
Spanish Franciscian priest
Damián Massanet Damián Massanet was a Spanish Franciscan priest who co-founded the College of Santa Cruz de Querétaro, the first missionary college in New Spain.
Biography
Not much is known of Massanet's early life, but he is trusted to have been born in Majo ...
led the first European contact with the area, a military expedition in 1691. In 1709, Spanish Franciscan missionary
Isidro de Espinosa
Isidro Félix de Espinosa (1679–1755) was a Franciscan missionary from New Spain who participated in several expeditionary missions throughout the province of Tejas (modern Texas). He was the president of the missionaries from the College of S ...
and a retinue of Spanish soldiers traveled to the area. In his diary, Espinoza described the springs in detail and noted they had named it Agua de San Pedro (Waters of Saint Peter).
Martín de Alarcón
Martín de Alarcón was the Governor of Coahuila and Spanish Texas from 1705 until 1708, and again from 1716 until 1719. He founded San Antonio, the first Spanish civilian settlement in Texas.
Texas First term
Alarcón was first appointed gove ...
founded the city of San Antonio by establishing
San Antonio de Valero and
Presidio San Antonio de Bexar
A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were cen ...
at the Springs in 1718.
He built an acequia (irrigation canal) in 1719. The springs and surrounding area were designated as public land by King
Philip V of Spain
Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mon ...
in 1729.
When the
Canary Islander
Canary Islanders, or Canarians ( es, canarios), are a Romance people and ethnic group. They reside on the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of northwest Africa, and descend from a mixture of European settlers and ab ...
s began arriving in 1731, they first camped in this area.
The park
Based on the original Spanish land grant, the city of San Antonio's first surveyor
Francois P. Giraud defined the park's boundaries in 1851. The city officially declared it a public park in 1852, making it the oldest park in the state of Texas.
By 1856, the
U.S. Camel Corps
The United States Camel Corps was a mid-19th-century experiment by the United States Army in using camels as pack animals in the Southwestern United States. Although the camels proved to be hardy and well suited to travel through the region, th ...
had camel stables on the site.
In 1860,
Sam Houston stopped here to deliver a two-hour speech opposing the proposed Texas secession from the United States.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
the park was used as a prisoner of war camp. After the Civil War,
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...
s used the park as a training camp.
Swiss landscape designer John J. Duerler leased land adjacent to the park, and reached an 1864 agreement with the city to redesign the park. Duerler developed the park with landscaping, a garden, picnic areas, a zoo and aviary, a music pavilion, and even a racetrack. Naturalist Gustave Jermy opened the Museum of Natural History in the park in 1885. The park suffered in 1891 when wells dug into the
Edwards Aquifer
The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water s ...
dwindled the park's water supply. Between 1897 and 1899, the park was renovated under the direction of Mayor Bryan Callaghan. Beginning just before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the water needs of a burgeoning population once again decreased water levels, drying up the springs for the next 35 years. When excessive rainfalls during the 1990s replenished the park's water supply, the public once again became interested in the park.
The park underwent an additional renovation 1998-2000.
Park facilities include a gazebo, swimming pool, restrooms, softball and tennis areas, a playground, a skate plaza, the San Pedro Library, and the San Pedro Playhouse
Gallery
File:San Pedro Springs Park and Lake, San Antonio, Texas.jpg, 1907 Postcard, San Pedro Springs Park and Lake
See also
*
Acequia Madre de Valero
References
External links
San Pedro Springs Park official site
{{Authority control
Defunct baseball venues in the United States
Baseball venues in San Antonio
Baseball venues in Texas
History of San Antonio
Parks in San Antonio
Tourist attractions in San Antonio
National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas