Events & News

1959
Virgil T. Blossom, former superintendent of the embattled Little Rock School District in Arkansas, becomes superintendent of North East School District.

1731
The site for the Church of San Fernando is selected when Juan Antonio Pérez de Almazán, captain of the Presidio of San Antonio, lays out a central square for the villa of San Fernando de Béxar, as San Antonio was first called. The church is to be located on the west side of the square. After Almazan selected the site of the doorway of the church, the Main Plaza was laid out from the doorway.

1873
The old front of San Fernando Cathedral is torn down for renovations.

1894
An immense U.S. flag was draped from the balcony of San Antonio’s City Hall to mark the Fourth of July because it was too big to be raised on the city’s flagpole.

1819
A major flood in San Antonio, described as a “solid overflowing stream roaring south, spread east and west from the walls of the former mission San Antonio de Valero (Alamo) all the way to San Pedro Creek.”

1961
Eric Brendler, manager of Interstate’s Broadway theater, advises that 178 sets of twins, ranging from 5 to 65 years, responded to the newspaper announcement that the town’s twins would be admitted free to see Walt Disney’s “The Parent Trap” on opening day.

1925
Despondent over the drowning death of his only son nearly four years earlier, Alexander Joske fatally shoots himself.

1943
A new employee at the San Antonio National Bank, 213 W. Commerce, stepped on the burglar alarm button, causing 10 police cars to dash to the bank.

1954
San Antonians went to the polls today to vote for the proposed $11 million freeway bond issue.

1907
The new state law in effect today requires San Antonio automobile owners to report to the county clerk, register their names and obtain a number for their machine.

1925
The Dodge Brothers Automobile Company has offered a bulletproof car to the San Antonio City Police.

1899
John Keiser, who is engaged in classifying probate papers in the county clerk’s office, came to a package yesterday containing the papers of Davy Crockett.

1856
San Antonio’s city limits are set as one square league with the dome of San Fernando Cathedral as center, divided into four wards.

1885
San Antonio began keeping weather statistics in 1885.  On this day in that year, the temperature dropped to 65 and it’s still the record low.

1849
San Antonio Lodge No. 11, International Order of Odd Fellows organized (second secret society in San Antonio).

1932
Qualified Negro voters in Bexar County will be permitted to vote in the Democratic primary election tomorrow under terms of a mandatory injunction.

1885
The first shipment of rails for the San Antonio and Aransas Pass railway arrived in San Antonio.

1956
Plans for a convention hall and civic center at La Villita were unveiled today by V. H. Braunig, City Public Service Board manager.

1935
Postmaster Dan Quill spurned pleas from a veterans organization that oak trees planted in front of the old post office by Teddy Roosevelt not be chopped down.

1896
The Ursuline Convent is now being thoroughly repainted in every part and all panels, walls, lintels and doors nicely grained. Such treatment of the entire building will do much to spark it up.

1909
The electrically lighted archways over Houston Street extinguished and will be lit no more.