View from the Hill: October 2011

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Eastside Cemetery Tour

I played tour guide this morning for the city's Office of Historical Preservation cemetery tour. A large part of the historic Eastside cemeteries are located within our neighborhood. Walking around those old cemeteries is like walking among the who's who of many familiar names to San Antonio. Steves, Guenther, Groos, Wurzbach, Bullis, are some of the many historical and well known San Antonio figures buried in these cemeteries.

Steves Family Burial Plot

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Boo Bash Fun Brings Neighborhood Together

The 1st Annual Dignowity Hill Boo Bash was a great success! The Bash was a fundraising event for the neighborhood association but more importantly it brought the community together for a day of Halloween fun. Food, great weather, music, arts and crafts vendors, fire trucks, a Halloween costume contest for kids, adults and pets made the day! Thanks to all the volunteers and the fundraising committee for making this event a success!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Hanna and Becka

A couple of years ago I posted a story about our two dogs, Hanna and Becka. Link: http://dhsa1.blogspot.com/2009/07/dignowity-dog-tale.html. We found these two dogs in 1996. Someone had dumped them on property belonging to our church and so we christen them with biblical names. Hanna had black and white markings while Becka was all black except in her later years she got a touch of white around her face. For over to 15 years both of these dogs were an intimate part of our family and made us laugh with their antics. At one point in their lives they were visitation dogs and they visited a local nursing home for 10 years as part of the Paws for Services program. Sadly, last September we lost Hanna to old age and last week was Becka's turn. I don't know if there's such a thing as doggy heaven but my hope is that Becka is now with Hanna.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Fire Station # 1

Fire Station #1 opened for business today! The fire station is located on Cherry and Nolan Streets in Dignowity Hill. This is the headquarters station for the San Antonio Fire Dept and a great addition to our neighborhood! We attended the "hose uncoupling" ceremony and mingled with neighbors and city officials.

About Dignowity Hill

Dignowity Hill is located on the near east side, 2 miles from downtown San Antonio. Found on the National Historic Registry of Neighborhoods, it is named for Anthony Michael Dignowity, a Czech-American writer, public official and medical doctor who was born in Kuttenburg, Bohemia in 1810.

Dignowity immigrated to the US in 1831. He came to San Antonio from Nachez, Mississippi with a group of volunteers for the Mexican War. Dr. Dignowity built his home, often called Harmony House, on a hillside with a fine view of downtown San Antonio. The land remains as present day Dignowity Park. Dignowity sold plots of the surrounding land with its fine breezes to his various well-heeled friends.Noted San Antonio families such as the Friedrichs, Elmendorfs, Lockwoods and Otts built homes in this area. According to the San Antonio Historic Society, the area was first settled as estates with one house per block in the 1850’s. The homes were typically two story, constructed of limestone and brick, and reflected the best designs of their time.

Dignowity Hill Historic District: within the boundaries of the neighborhood lies the Dignowity Hill Historic District. The district was established to preserve the unique cultural and historic character of the area.

Revitalization: The neighborhood is currently experiencing a surge of revitalization as investors and property owners are restoring some of the grand old homes in the area. The neighborhood is centrally located with easy access to downtown San Antonio. St. Paul Square, the Alamodome, the Carver Cultural Center, restaurants and other attractions are easily accessible from the neighborhood.

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