September 7 in San Antonio history…

1924
Ceremonies dedicating St. Mary’s Church completed at a cost of $250,000 were conducted by Rev. A.J. Drossaerts, bishop of San Antonio.  (The original church was heavily damaged in the 1921 flood.)

1972
The first Folklife Festival opens on the grounds of the Institute of Texan Cultures. 7,546 people attend on opening day.

1984
After existing as two separate newspapers (except on weekends) for 66 years, the first issue of the combined San Antonio Express and San Antonio News hits the newsstands as the San Antonio Express-News.

May 30 in San Antonio history…

1924
Flowers were dropped from planes over Brooks Field in memory of Sidney J. Brooks, Jr., former reporter for The Light, for whom the airfield was named. Brooks was killed in a Kelly Field crash during WWI.

1945
Commissioners Court vetoed the idea of a bond issue to erect a coliseum and Commissioner Bob Uhr said he could see no sense in putting a lot of sheep and cattle in a large building for livestock shows.

2009
The $74.4 million upgrade to the Museum Reach expansion of the San Antonio River is completed on-time and $2 million under budget.

May 12 in San Antonio history…

Advertisement from San Antonio Light

1924
The Hearst Corporation buys the San Antonio Light newspaper.

1953
Possibility of a tornado in the San Antonio area was forecast by the U.S. Weather Bureau. Hail and winds reaching up to 50 or 60 miles per hour were also listed as possibilities. (This was the same storm system that spawned an F5 tornado destroying downtown Waco the previous day.)

1957
The $100,000, 3.2 mile “Brackenridge Eagle” railroad track began carrying its first passengers around Brackenridge Park.

April 7 in San Antonio history…

1924
Bible reading exercises, made mandatory by action of the School Board, started the day in all San Antonio schools.

1947
A nationwide telephone strike begins at 6 a.m.  1,300 members of the telephone workers union are off the job in San Antonio. Local phone service on the dial system will not be affected until the lack of maintenance work causes breakdowns, it was pointed out by Paul West, district manager of the Southwestern Bell Company. How long this will be is anybody’s guess. A supervisory force is manning switchboards, West said, and is prepared to handle a limited number of long-distance and other calls requiring an operator. He urged telephone users to avoid all such as far as possible.

1965
“The Sound of Music” premieres in San Antonio at the Cinema II at North Star Mall, located at Loop 410 and San Pedro Avenue.

March 29 in San Antonio history…

1924
The city has indicated that they will not approve a request for the Ku Klux Klan to march in the electrical parade of the Fiesta San Jacinto.

1950
At the request of Joe Freeman, the court rescinded an order last Oct. 26 naming the coliseum the Joe Freeman Coliseum.

1962
McCreless Shopping City (right) holds its grand opening celebration.  The new mall contains the city’s second Montgomery Ward department store.

March 28 in San Antonio history…

1924
The Fiesta Association board receives a request from Ku Klux Klan No. 31 to enter a decorated float in the Battle of Flowers parade and 5,000 to 10,000 unmasked members in the night parade.  The letter stated that they would be led by the Klan band and fiery cross of the order.  Action on the request was delayed by the board.

1927
The new Magnolia gas station at Broadway and the Austin Highway opens for business (photo, right, taken in 2011).

1988
San Antonio drivers with outstanding parking tickets had until 8 a.m. to settle up with the city or risk getting “booted” as the city begins installing Auto Kuff immobilizing devices on the cars of violators.  Cars with “boots” cannot be moved until the driver pays a $25 fee to remove the device plus all outstanding tickets.

March 22 in San Antonio history…

1924
The San Antonio Conservation Society is organized to save the old Market House and the San Antonio River.

1956
In advance of a May 12 Federal Court hearing, the City Council unanimously repeals the June 19, 1954 ordinance (No. 20307) prohibiting people of color from city swimming pools and other city-owned facilities.

1968
Southwestern Bell Telephone announces a new operating area in Texas – its third – with headquarters to be located in San Antonio.  The effective date of the new area organization will be April 1, but it will be October 1 before it is fully operational.

January 21 in San Antonio history…

1924
John Phillip Sousa, the King of the Marches, brings his 100-piece band for a concert in Beethoven Hall.

1957
KONO-TV Channel 12 (later KSAT) begins regular programming with Eisenhower’s second inauguration.

1967
Alan Ludden, who attended elementary school, junior high and high school here in San Antonio, has returned with his wife, actress Betty White, to accept the “Texan of the Year” award from the Texas Press Association tonight in the St. Anthony Hotel.

October 22 in San Antonio history…

1903
On account of the unsubstantiated rumors of yellow fever in the city, the highly anticipated football game due to take place today at the International Fair between the Varsity team from the State University in Austin and Baylor University has been postponed to Saturday and relocated to Austin.

1924
Members of the congregation and a large number of well-wishers witness the leveling of the cornerstone of the new Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church. Ceremonies attending the placing of the stone were conducted by the Community Lodge #1201, A.F. & A.M.

1973
The San Antonio Library initiates a new “after hours” reference service.  Persons who need answers to questions may call the Main Library any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.  When the library is closed, an answering service will take the question and refer it to the library reference department as soon as the library opens.  A librarian will find the answer and return the call.  (This telephone service no longer exists but you can submit questions via this webpage.)

October 21 in San Antonio history…

1867
George Wilkins Kendall, Mexican War correspondent, editor of theNew Orleans Picayune, sheep rancher and namesake of Kendall County, dies in Boerne.

1924
One of the participants in the women’s city golf tournament this morning, is Patricia Green, who is only six years old.  Although she gets no distance out of her drives, Pat is all there when getting the right stance – something the older golfers are still trying to get.

1936
San Antonio had another college added to its list with the acceptance of Westmoorland as a senior four-year college.  The occasion is celebrated with a formal convocation in the San Pedro Playhouse featuring the local pastors of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Laurel Heights Methodist Church, along with Dean E. N. Jones of Baylor University and the President of the University of Texas, H. Y. Benedict.