{"nrhp_refnum":"00000772","name":"San Antonio City Cemeteries Historic District, Old","other_names":["Eastside Cemetery Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Nevada, New Braunfels, Paso Hondo, Palmetto, Potomac, St. James, Pine, E. Commerce, Dakota, Monumenta","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.419230950500037,"lon":-98.46466407756304,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-10-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A district of 31 contiguous burial grounds covering 103 acres about 1.5 miles east of City Hall in San Antonio, Texas, on land deeded to the city by the King of Spain in 1733. The cemeteries were established between 1853 and 1904.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the cemeteries together record the early development of San Antonio and the diverse city, religious, fraternal, ethnic and military groups that buried their dead there. They qualify under Criterion A for that history and under Criterion C for their monuments, mausoleums, boundaries and circulation systems, with a period of significance of 1853-1949. Each cemetery is considered to retain enough integrity despite decay and vandalism.","narrative":"Thirty-one adjoining cemeteries spread across 103 acres about 1.5 miles east of San Antonio's City Hall, on land the King of Spain deeded to the city in 1733. Founded between 1853 and 1904, they were begun by the city, churches and synagogues, religious and fraternal orders, families, the federal government and the United Confederate Veterans. East Commerce Street divides them into northern and southern sectors. Most graves lie in north-south rows with markers facing east, following a southern folk tradition. Small granite, marble and limestone markers predominate, with occasional mausoleums, statuary, walls and gateposts, including work by sculptors Pompeo Coppini and Frank Teich. Roughly 70 percent of burials date before 1949. The grounds are significant as a record of the people who shaped San Antonio, including German immigrants, Jewish congregations, Confederate veterans, African American residents and fraternal groups. Vandalism, theft and neglect have damaged many plots, but the district keeps enough integrity to convey its history.","period_of_significance":"1853-1949","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Cemeteries are still considered active with only occasional burials. Many have suffered decay, vandalism, toppled stones and missing fencing. The City maintains eight, and six appear abandoned.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.649796-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/47/9712/40971247/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/00000772.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000772/be957a3c28-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00000772/be957a3c28-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oldcitycemetery1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oldcitycemetery1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971247","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_San_Antonio_City_Cemeteries_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q108661041"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/san-antonio-city-cemeteries-historic-district-old-00000772/"}