The Block House in San Pedro Springs Park - San Antonio, TX
N 29° 26.804 W 098° 30.009
14R E 548474 N 3257585
A very old, but restored, building east of the source of the San Pedro Springs in San Pedro Springs Park stands a small "block house" that is arguably said to be the oldest structure in Texas and the source of various strange tales.
Waymark Code: WM9AJT
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/22/2010
Views: 20
According to The Edward Aquifer Website article on "San Pedro Springs", by Gregg Eckardt:
"Several hundred feet east of the Springs is a very old small stone building with vertical slits for rifles thought to have been used as an early refuge against hostile Indian attacks. It's date of construction has not been firmly established, but some believe it may be the oldest structure in Texas. One theory is that it was built by Spanish soldiers between 1690 and 1716 and was the southwest corner of a stockade, the rest of which was made of cedar and was burned by the Indians. If this is true, it would predate Olivares' 1718 mission. Casting doubt on this theory is the fact that no mention of the building is made by the friars who carefully recorded descriptions of the land. An old San Antonio legend says the structure was built by the Texas army to store powder. Others say it was only a hay barn.
There are two popular folk tales associated with this Block House. One is the "Lure of Lolita" where men were supposedly lured to the Block House at night by a young woman, possibly the slave of the land owner at the time, so that the owner could rob and murder them. In fact, skeletal remains have been found during archeological excavations on the property nearby but it is more likely to be from Indians burying their dead in the caves long before this building was here. The second legend claims a large tunnel was once built to connect the Alamo with this house to offer an escape, but this is debunked because the tunnel would have had to pass through the San Antonio river.
(Source: (
visit link)