About a mile to the east of downtown San Antonio is a spread of over 100 acres of cemeteries. The cemeteries are clustered on land that rises above the city's center. These historic graveyards date back to 1853 when the city set aside 20 acres on the city's Eastside to replace the old public and Catholic cemeteries on the Westside where Milam Park and Santa Rosa Hospital are now located. The area chosen by the city for the cemeteries was originally called La Garita,which was used by the Spanish to store gun powder. In time the area came to be called Powder House Hill. By 1904 31 cemeteries were in place in an area that covered over 103 acres.
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| Misty Morning |
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| Guardian Angel |
Today the cemetery complex is registered as a National Historic District. The cemetery complex is a collection of city owned graveyards, church and family plots. San Antonio's original military cemetery is located here along with a Confederate burial ground.
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| Pearly Gates |
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| Kohr |
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| Crosses |
Graveyards have names such as the Masonic Lodge, Odd Fellows and family names such as Dignowity. There is a lady buried in her Ferrari along with well known San Antonio families like the Groos', the Guenther's and the Mavericks, familiar names of San Antonio.
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| Guenther Family Plot |
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| Maverick |
But many lesser known are also buried here. Trekking through the old cemeteries you can feel a sense of poignancy when you find a grave marker that is broken or slightly scattered away from its grave. You can't help but wonder who these people were, what kinds of lives they led, what triumphs and tragedies touched them.
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| No Name: Whose Father? |
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| Lost to Time |
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| Not Forgotten |
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| Unknown Story |
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