Westside Black Enclaves

San Antonio’s black population can be traced back to the city’s earliest days. Presidial soldiers included many of African and American Indian ancestry. Later, Canary Islanders would bring their North African Berber culture with them. In 1876, out of a population of 17,214, some 2,075 citizens were recorded as “African.” Black communities settled in small enclaves throughout the city, including a sizable number west of the San Antonio River.

By 1885, the city’s Second Ward, which included that portion west of the San Antonio River and north of Commerce Street, was largely populated by black citizens. Primarily residential, the area was anchored by significant community institutions. St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church began in 1868 in a soap factory along San Pedro Creek, and has played a prominent role in the spiritual, social and civic lives of the neighborhood’s residents. The early members were emancipated African Americans. The church moved to its present location on Richter Street in 1928. The exciting West End Baptist Church, founded in 1905, also served the growing black population. Ella Austin (1856-1902), a prominent community leader, first opened an orphans’ home near this site, at 926 West Houston Street, in 1890 before moving to a larger facility on the city’s eastside. Black children attended the Bishop Grant School on N. Leona. Krisch Hall, a German-owned business located at Houston and Flores, hosted black organizations such as the Lonestar Literary Society, the Glee Club and community gatherings.

Over time, San Antonio’s westside transitioned to a Latino cultural center, African American families and institutions became concentrated on the eastside, and many historic residences were replaced by commercial buildings. Still, the near westside is home to many African Americans and remains an important example of the city’s layers of history and cultural diversity. (2016)