The city of San Antonio was founded on 1718, and is the product of three settlements: San Antonio de Valero (church controlled community around the Alamo), San Antonio de Bexar (military garrison on Plaza De Armas) and Villa San Fernando (the civilian town on Main Plaza). Now that 300+ years have passed, the city and its streets are chock-full of vibrant history.
It’s safe to say that over the years, the city has been touched by countless historical figures and happenings — many of which have shaped the names of San Antonio’s buildings, parks, and streets. In this guide, we’re delving into the history of the Alamo City’s streets — specifically how they were named.
Northwest Side
From Six Flags Fiesta Texas to Friedrich Wilderness Park, this neighborhood is home to some of San Antonio’s popular attractions. On the other hand, it also has its fair share of traffic due to construction on 1604.
Evers Road — Claus H. Evers born in 1817 and his wife Johanna K. Brocken Evers born in 1818, both immigrated to Texas on the Gutenberg from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in 1855. Their son, Christian Evers, owned as much as 1,300 acres of land in the Leon Valley area.
Fredericksburg Road — John O. Meusebach lead the first 120 settlers to New Braunfels on May 8, 1846 with an 8-men military escort. The naming of Fredericksburg and the subsequent streets are after Prince Frederick of Prussia, a member of the Adelsverein.
Huebner Road — Joseph Huebner came to America in 1853 with his wife Caroline along with their children, Anna and Frank. Huebner was a silversmith, jeweler, and watch repairman with the Bell Brothers Jewelers in downtown. At a point in time, Huebner owned 850 acres in Northwest Bexar County.
Grissom Road — John Grissom and his wife Marie Thompson started multiple businesses in the ranching and dairy industry by selling cattle on credit and renting them with land. John and Marie Grissom donated a right-of-way through their Bexar County ranch creating the name we know today.
Lockehill-Selma — Lockehill was named after the Locke family who settled here in the mid 19-century. The family donated land and operated a school built in 1923 named (get this) Shavano. Whereas Selma remains a mystery. In the 1930’s, the town’s unofficial historian (at the time in his 90’s) doesn’t remember any stories about the name.
Northeast Side
From Converse to Selma and Cibolo, this neighborhood is the quieter part of the city. Far enough to own a plot of land in the Hill Country but close enough to make it out to Amor Eterno on Friday night.
Basse Road — Named after Edgar A. Basse, Sr., the founder of the Piggly Wiggly supermarket chain.
Cheever Blvd — Named after banking royalty, Elizabeth Daley Cheever — co-founder of Broadway National Bank — and her husband, WWII Army Col. Charles Cheever Sr.
Evans Road — The gold-rushing Texan — Robert Evans — purchased 160 acres of land and was elected Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3 in 1872. Evans and his wife Rebecca had 9 children. The road honors the family’s name.
Downtown
The confluence of culture — and the San Antonio River — downtown has everything from romantic getaways to partying until the sun comes up.
Flores Street — One of the oldest streets in San Antonio was named after Nicolas Flores y Valdez, who fought against Native American raids during the Aguayo Expedition in 1817. The goal of the expedition was to open up supply routes. Other sources indicate that it was names Flores Street to the amount of flowers (Flores) that grew along the road.
Travis, Crockett, Bowie, and Bonham streets — These were named in honor of the fallen heroes at the Battle of the Alamo, James Bowie, William B. Travis, David Crockett, and James Bonham.
St. Mary’s Street (and University) — Was named after the brothers of Saint Mary who immigrated to San Antonio in 1851 to start the aptly-named university.
Soledad Street — At one time, this street had only one house on it, so it was named Soledad which is Spanish for lonely.
Belknap Street — Named after Augustus Belknap, who implemented the city’s first streetcars which were mule-driven down San Pedro Ave.
Inner Westside
You’re not quite in downtown but you’re on the outskirts. Maybe you’ve taken a stroll through Confluence Park or your GPS rerouted you through a neighborhood.
W. And E. Ashby Place — This street remains a mystery because the Street Renaming Committee in the early 1900’s changed the name to an already existing street to Ashby Place in response to a community petition to honor “General Ashby.” However, this is where the mystery starts. There is no historical record of any general named Ashby in Texas. There was a Civil War brigadier general named Turner Ashby but he was raised, schooled, fought, and died in Virginia during the Civil War. Yet, the street was renamed 50 years after the Civil War.
General McMullen Drive — The street was named after a former commander of Kelly Air Force Base.
Cupples Road — This road is named after Colonel Cupples, a former agent of Henri Castro.