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Published: March 30th 2008
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Posted by Onaxthiel: I like San Antonio. This was convenient when I was stationed there, as not liking your station is an added pain in a generally unpleasant line of work. Even hanging out for three month's worth of weekends, though, there were sites in town I hadn't seen. When you are walking practically everywhere, some things just don't assume the priorities that others do. This morning Obfuscator and I had planned on seeing the Buckhorn, a landmark saloon and museum that features the world's largest collection of antlers from all manner of species. Back in the 19th century, a new rack to add to their collection earned you a free drink, and rare finds could get you several. Along with the horns, they also assembled collections of all sorts of other assorted kitsch, and have a museum that I decided to visit years ago. On the constrained budget we are now operating on though, we determined that the $17.50 per person was not an acceptable price. So our morning was open. This is where the sites I hadn't visited earlier came in.
San Antonio has a cathedral church that serves as the geographic center of town that I never
bothered with. It also has a solid claim to being the oldest building in Texas and the oldest continuously operated cathedral in the US. I think the Cathedral in St. Augustine would argue with the description, but either way I was depriving myself all those years ago by not visiting. The San Fernando Cathedral is a Gothic style structure that houses the “Heroes of the Alamo,” the mortal remains of those killed in Santa Anna's assault and those he executed after the fight was over. There was no way to tell which bones belonged to which person after their mass burial, so now everything that was found has been interred in a sarcophagus in the front of the church. The art throughout the structure is striking, showing the melding of Spanish, Native and Anglo cultures that makes San Antonio what it is. In the Sanctuary is a lovely altar showing Christ surrounded by the writers of the four Gospels, and flanking the central altar are two retablos featuring two different interpretations of the Virgin Mary. To the left is a traditional European Mary with the accouterments of the queen of the universe that being the mother of God must come
with (Obfuscator adds: I actually found this image to be rather interesting, since it seemed to have a rather eastern European flavor to it). To the right is a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the more peasant looking new world mother that the Indians thought of when they prayed their rosaries. Our small tour was lead by a homeless man who was sitting in the pews when we entered, and he was quite informative about the history while showing us around.
After the Cathedral, we moved on to the Spanish Governor's Palace. Built in 1722, it is a showpiece of history. For generations, the palace served as a governmental center, home, chow hall, barracks and small chapel for this part of Texas. Out the back door to the palace is a beautiful garden surrounded by a perimeter wall. A very worthwhile stop to relax in the busy downtown of San Antonio.
With these stops out of the way, we drove off to the east. We knew we wanted to be in a position to make it to Houston tomorrow, since our old friend J was there and wouldn't really be available for the night. On the way
east, we were treated to a lovely color pallet. The Texas highway department does a wonderful job of making their roads look good by spreading out huge amounts of seed for wild flowers each spring. We happened to be passing through at just the right moment to catch them all in bloom, and it was a very beneficial coincidence. This stretch of Texas near San Antonio was settled by German immigrants, and the towns in the region still bear some small nods towards this heritage. The small town of Shiner, “Cleanest town in Texas” and the home of Shiner Bock, a local brew that everyone else in the country sells as an import. The Old Courthouse in the town of Halletsville, and the countless sausage factories in between each town. The only stop we made in the region was Memorial Hill state park. Outside the town of La Grange, this park commemorates the victims of something called the Black Bean Massacre.
For those not from Texas and aware of this bit of history, it dates back to 1842. In this period, the independence of Texas wasn't yet a settled question to Mexico, particularly not to Santa Anna, the man
that had been forced to grant it about 6 years earlier. Cross border raids by both sides weren't uncommon, and one group of Texans decided to ignore their orders and attack into Mexico for some reason. After being captured, they were marched towards Mexico City. Most of them escaped, but soon the desert took its toll and 176 of the 181 escapees were recaptured. As an example to them, Santa Anna ordered the unit decimated. 17 black beans were put into a pot with 159 white beans, and those drawing them were executed. The only officer executed was from the town of La Grange, so this was the chosen burial ground when the remains were recovered. The memorial stands on a clearing on a ridge line, overlooking a river and a vast expanse of Texas. A very suitable tribute. The other bit of history that inhabits the park is the Kreische family home and brewery.
Mr. Kreische was a German stone mason that built his dream home into the side of the hill, and it is a testimony to his skill that the domicile still looks like a place I would like to live 150 years later. His skills
in stone might have been a good way to pay the bills, but Kreische had another passion that made him famous. He built a brewery that used the gravity of the hill and the water of a nearby stream to make a home brew that was once one of the most popular beers in the state. Things were going well until 1882, when Kreische died of falling from a wagon. This, combined with the introduction of mass produced beer from other parts of the country caused his family to close down the brewery in 1884. The two sites together and the presence of good facilities for picnicking make the stop a worthwhile one.
Our camp site for the night was near the town of San Felipe, the oldest Anglo settlement in Texas. The park is Steven F. Austin, named for the man who led the settlement and became known as the father of Texas. Like all Texas state parks, it is a bit pricey but quite well furnished. When night came we witnessed the first fireflies we have seen since the early days of the trip, and raccoons tried their best to scavenge food from the area of our
dinner preparation.
Lessons learned: If you want to see the Shiner brewery, find out where it is first. We lost much time in the search. My small hand axe is having a hard time chopping through the dense, well-seasoned wood in this area. I am very much missing having a larger sized ax or saw.
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