National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form
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NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information. For additional space, use continuation sheets (Form 10-900-a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer to complete all items. X New Submission Amended Submission A. Name of Multiple Property Listing Historic Farms and Ranches of Bexar County, Texas B. Associated Historic Contexts Agriculture in Bexar County, Texas, ca. 1800–1970 Ethnic Groups and Related Building Patterns in Rural Bexar County, Texas, ca. 1800–1970 C. Form Prepared by Amy E. Dase, principal investigator; Summer Chandler, Stephanie Katauskas, and NAME/TITLE: Céline Finney, project historians ORGANIZATION: Prewitt and Associates, Inc. DATE: December 17, 2010 ADDRESS: 2105 Donley Drive, Suite 400 TELEPHONE: 512-459-3349 x224 CITY: Austin STATE: Texas ZIP CODE: 78758 E-MAIL: [email protected] D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60 and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. (___ See continuation sheet for additional comments.) _________________________________________________________ _______________________ Signature and title of certifying official Date (SHPO, Texas Historical Commission) I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. _________________________________________________________ ________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Historic Farms and Ranches of Bexar County, Texas Page 2 Table of Contents for Written Narrative Provide the following information on continuation sheets. Cite the letter and title before each section of the narrative. Assign page numbers according to the instructions for continuation sheets in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Fill in page numbers for each section in the space below. Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts Agriculture in Bexar County, Texas, ca. 1800–1970 E-3 to E-20 Ethnicity in Rural Bexar County, Texas, ca. 1800–1970 E-20 to E-38 Figures E-39 to E-41 F. Associated Property Types F-42 to F-62 G. Geographical Data G-63 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods H-64 to H-69 I. Major Bibliographical References I-70 to I-94 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section E Page 3 Historic Farms and Ranches of Bexar County, Texas MPS E. Statement of Historic Contexts (Part 1) AGRICULTURE IN BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS, 1800 TO 1970 Introduction From earliest settlement activity until World War II, agriculture was the leading economic force in Bexar County, Texas. The county’s cash crops and livestock provided food for farms and the large, urban market of San Antonio, and grew to participate in the national market economy. Relevant historical agents such as population growth, transportation networks, technological innovations, world events, and local economics linked Bexar County to regional and national agricultural patterns. Representative and distinct elements of local agricultural history are included in this synthesis and guided development of five periods of significance. A substantial amount of available data permits the identification of discrete periods of significance.1 The focus of the earliest period for this agricultural context is 1800 to the 1840s, although a very brief synopsis of the pre-1800 era introduces mission farming and ranching. The synthesis for this early period concentrates on local agricultural patterns in the turbulent first decades of the century that led Mexico to achieve independence from Spain, and Texas to break away as a sovereign republic. Only a few American and foreign-born European agriculturists began to undertake farming and livestock raising in Bexar County in the midst of political upheaval until statehood in 1845. In these decades, the first non- Hispanic transplants began to transform the local agricultural landscape with patterns more common to the American South. The next period of significance extends from the 1840s until 1880. This period, simultaneous with the economic highs and lows of the antebellum and postbellum eras, encompassed a major influx of native-born Anglo Americans and foreign-born Europeans who substantially shifted local agricultural practices away from existing Spanish and Mexican traditions. The period of significance between 1880 and 1920 recounts the second major influx of European immigrants within the local populace and an attendant increase in the numbers of first- and second-generation Americans, vast improvements to transportation routes and consequent trade expansion, and overall growth for agricultural production. The period of significance between 1920 and the onset of World War II was a time of agricultural and economic depression, but also included technological advancements that altered local farming practices. The final period of significance considers most carefully the years between 1945 and 1960, briefly addressing the subsequent decade of this later period. During and after World War II, a flourishing post-war economy and vertical integration of the market characterized local agriculture. The 1960s directly and irrevocably affected rural Bexar County with efforts to accommodate the transportation and development needs of a rapidly expanding military–industrial complex and the post- war baby boom as the Cold War trudged on to its midpoint. Regardless of time period, Bexar County’s diverse agricultural past reflects local geographic and topographic circumstances. Bexar County was established on December 20, 1836, with San Antonio as county seat. The county encompassed almost the entire western portion of the Republic of Texas, including areas of western New Mexico northward to Wyoming. Much of the county beyond San Antonio was sparsely settled. Since 1860, when the partitioning of Bexar County began, 128 counties have been carved from the original political boundary, leaving the present county at 1,248 square miles. Today, Bexar County is bounded on the north by Kendall and Comal Counties, on the east by Guadalupe and Wilson Counties, on the south by Atascosa County, and on the west by Medina and Bandera Counties. Bexar County is part of the interior belt of the Coastal Plain that the Balcones Escarpment crosses in south central Texas. 1 Several useful sources on agriculture consulted but not specifically cited in this context include Texas Woollybacks: The Range, Sheep, and Goat Industry (Carlson 1982), Forgotten Texas Census: First Annual Report of the Agricultural Bureau of the Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History, 1887–1888 (Foster 2001), Planters and Plain Folk: Agriculture in Antebellum Texas (Lowe and Campbell 1987), and Fourth Annual Report of the Agricultural Bureau of the Department of Agriculture, Insurance, Statistics, and History: 1890–1891 (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1892). NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET Section E Page 4 Historic Farms and Ranches of Bexar County, Texas MPS Northwest of the escarpment, in high, hilly country is the Edwards Plateau, the source of numerous springs and artesian and underground wells. The Edwards Aquifer system recharge and artesian zones flow through the county from northeast to southwest. The county’s most central water source is the San Antonio River, which originates from springs on the present-day University of the Incarnate Word campus. The San Antonio River once served as