National Register Application for Presnall - Watson Homestead (Redacted)
Description
The Presnall-Watson Homestead in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, is the historic headquarters for a prosperous farm and ranch complex that was owned sequentially by two locally important families. The property is in south-central Bexar County, approximately 15 miles from the city’s central business district. The homestead is situated east of the Medina River on a bluff that is 262 feet above the river’s southern bank, 1.2 miles west of its confluence with the Leon Creek. Historic resources at the 188-acre homestead include six buildings and three structures that are tightly clustered together. The original 2-story stone I-plan dwelling (c.1854) was modified by several wood frame additions in the mid- to late- 1880s. Other contributing resources include a large metal barn, a small stone kitchen, a small water tank, a watering trough; and a large earthen stock tank/pond. Of the thirteen buildings and structures, nine are contributing due to their high level of integrity, with construction dates during the complex’s historic period of significance (1854-1962). The current owner, the Land Heritage Institute, plans to restore some of the buildings and establish a living history center to demonstrate Texas farming and ranching techniques from the mid-19th to the early-20th century. The property also
includes all or parts of six archaeological sites registered with the State of Texas and assigned official state trinomials (41BX537, 41BX538, 41BX539, 41BX540, 41BX831, 41BX833). Five of these sites contain prehistoric artifacts from the early, middle and late archaic periods, from the period 7900 B.C. to 1400 A.D., and historic period artifacts from the mid- 19th through early 20th centuries. They are among 90 sites discovered and investigated between 1981 and 2008 in conjunction with the San Antonio Water System’s proposed Applewhite Reservoir Project and the creation of a hike and bike trail along the Medina River by the City of San Antonio. They are broadly distributed across the Presnall-Watson acreage and vary in size and significance. All six recorded sites contribute to the significance of the homestead district. Read More