The stately mansion known as the Argyle has a past as storied and fascinating as the Lone Star State itself. From its origins as a home and headquarters of a horse ranch to its transformation into an inn and elegant dining club, and ultimately part of a pathfinding medical research endeavor, the Argyle has been at the center of San Antonio and Texas history since the middle of the nineteenth century. Originally built as a residence in 1860 by Charles Anderson, the Argyle temporarily served as an arsenal for the Confederacy during the Civil War. By the late nineteenth century, siblings Robert and Alice O’Grady operated what became a familiar inn and fine dining establishment for weary travelers and many notable figures, including Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing. During the Great Depression and World War II, the Argyle fell into disrepair. Betty Moorman, whose brother Tom Slick had founded the nonprofit Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, rescued the Argyle from the brink of demolition and converted it into a fine dining club whose members would provide financial support for the research institute. Today the Argyle continues to serve and support the mission of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, making important contributions to understanding and developing treatments for infectious diseases and cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other common diseases. This book not only contributes to the story of San Antonio’s history but is also a treasured and informative keepsake for those who support and continue to benefit from the Argyle and its larger mission.

On Sept. 27, 1865, the San Antonio Express-News made its debut. And from the beginning, there was plenty to write about. The Civil War had just concluded, and it was only twenty-nine years after the fall of the Alamo. The Chisholm Trail, the high road of the Cattle Kingdom, began in San Antonio, which was the largest and among the most diverse cities in Texas. Spanish, German, and English were commonly spoken. The politics were lively and sometimes divisive, as the city was full of Unionist sympathizers in a state that was an anchor of the Confederacy. Today, 150 years later, San Antonio is America’s fastest-growing big city and still making history. San Antonio is a richly illustrated compilation of more than 150 years of coverage on the history and culture of the city, as told in the pages of the San Antonio Express-News. From local politics to news stories on the military, energy, water use, the border and immigration that reverberate nationally and internationally, to the recent naming of San Antonio’s five Spanish missions as a World Heritage site, the city has always been a place where the American identity is forged. This book tracks the city's past from 1865 until 2015 and is full of evocative pictures and compelling accounts culled from the Express-News archives. The collection celebrates companies that shaped the city, such as Frost Bank, which began extending credit in 1867; the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, founders in 1869 of what is now the Christus Santa Rosa Health System and subsequently their namesake university; and H-E-B grocery. This is not a standard civic history or a straightforward march through the decades. Loosely organized by theme, the stories in the collection are often quite often surprising, just like San Antonio itself. As anyone who has spent time in the city knows, this is a place with a soul.

Members Only addresses how exclusive private clubs maintain and perpetuate class-based privilege and racial/ethnic and religious segregation, and how such patterns of social exclusion heighten social inequality. Members Only continues Kendall's study of the upper classes, whic...

In 1999 Bryan Woolley of the Dallas Morning News set out to record the stories of ordinary people in North Texas, to tell about their lives, especially their past, and how they became who they became. These stories were published in a column entitled "Where I Come From," which ran in the Sunday newspaper from May 1999 to December 2000, to great reader acclaim. Now, for the first time in book form, the best of those stories is gathered herein with photos of each storyteller. Among the people featured-a refugee who traveled a long road to Texas after the fall of Saigon; a ballet teacher who as a teenager joined the French Resistance against the Nazis; a rabbi who was also a country-music disc jockey; and a man who survived Auschwitz. Each story is told in the teller's words, making this collection a valuable resource for oral historians as well as to all those who enjoy a good story. Where I Come From will also stimulate the endeavors of those seeking to record their family history.

San Antonio 365: On This Day in History tells one story a day in the history of the Alamo City, from popular lore to lesser known events critical to understanding its people and culture. The result is a treasure trove of remarkable tales highlighting small ripples that created big waves in the region’s history. The stories in San Antonio 365 are fun and enlightening slices of history, but they also highlight our collective need to learn from the past. Internationally known as a center of business and tourism, San Antonio has also been the site of significant episodes in the fight for equal rights and justice, the importance of economic and cultural diversity, and the evolution of good government. Among the 365 stories are the anti-Communist riot at Municipal Auditorium led against Emma Tenayuca, the segregation of cinemas and swimming pools, and the 1955 integration of San Antonio schools. Charming anecdotes and quotes bring each story to life. For instance, did you know that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid cooled their heels on the streets of San Antonio a few miles from what would became Interstate 10—where the rock group R.E.M. filmed their iconic video “Everybody Hurts”? A lively essay introducing each month underscores the important ways that history is never just about the past. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.” San Antonio 365 brings to life more than three hundred years of surprises, highlighting both historical moments that have been overlooked and those told again and again—and the compelling characters who shaped the city.

This easy-to-use guide gives you the history, highlights, and hot spots of the nation's eighth largest city. You get extensive listings of historical places, annual events, restaurants, accomodations, shopping areas, and more.

With a history more than 290 years old, San Antonio boasts a diverse, eclectic, and important architectural inventory. From the Spanish Missions of the 17th century to invigorating adaptation and restoration of historic buildings alongside landmark new construction, there is a wide array of culturally significant assets reflecting Anglo and Hispanic traditions, alongside regional variations of southern and southwestern American styles. San Antonio Architecture is the comprehensive catalog of the architecture inventory of the city. Complete with color illustrations, keyed maps, and informative essays, it is a must-have book for every armchair and on foot architectural, art, and community historian. Edited by Julius M. Gribou, AIA; Robert G. Hanley, AIA; and Thomas E. Robey, AIA; with architectural text written by Lewis F. Fisher and Maria Watson Pfeiffer.

The San Antonio River, flowing for millennia from the highest peak in the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, carved out a valley on its way to join the Salinas River. These oak savannahs grow lush with native grasses and in spring ignite with one of the brightest wildflower displays in the state. Once the domain of the Salinan people, and later including the ranch lands of William Randolph Hearst, the valley now hosts the well-preserved Mission San Antonio de Padua, founded in 1771; farms and vineyards; mines and oil wells; historic Fort Hunter Ligget; and the communities of Jolon, Lockwood, Pleyto, and Bryson- Hesperia. Still ringed by blue, sometimes snow-capped mountains, this lovely valley remains a sanctuary for deer, mountain lion, tule elk, and the occasional black bear.