Atascosa County Historical Commission

10/14/2026

Our last Presenter Spotlight for this week’s Travis Letter Ceremony is Lee Spencer White. Lee is a seventh-generation Texan, author, independent historian, preservationist, and researcher.
She is best known for co-authoring the award-winning book "Joe the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend," which brought renewed scholarly and public attention to overlooked figures of the Alamo era.
White has been a consultant for major media outlets such as the History Channel, Deard Films, and the BBC. She founded the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association (A.D.D.A.) and organized the annual Alamo Remembrance Ceremony held within the Alamo Church. Her efforts to prevent the removal of the Alamo Cenotaph have been successful, and in 2025, the Alamo Trust restored the Cenotaph to its original condition and held a formal rededication ceremony. White's lifelong dedication to preserving Texas's cowboy, frontier, and Alamo legacy earned her the Daughters of the American Revolution "Women in American History" Award in 2021.
We look forward to hearing Ms. White’s presentation on Friday.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair

10/13/2026

Today, we spotlight another presenter for Friday’s Travis Letter Ceremony, Benny Garza.
Benny is a lifelong resident of Atascosa County and descendant of Alamo Combatant Gregorio Esparza.

When asked about his interest in history, he answered, “I first heard about Gregorio Esparza in the early 70's when my Mom, Maria Cruz Garza got all dressed up to attend the dedication ceremony for the Esparza Elementary School.”
In 1986, he attended the unveiling of the San Augustine marker.
“ In our house, my Mom had a portrait of Gregorio Esparza manning a cannon. This I thought was really cool. To have a family member who fought and died defending the Alamo”.
Benny credits his mother for his deep involvement in Texas /Family History. She enjoyed talking family and history.
Benny attended an Esparza Family Reunion that his cousins and sisters put on, one in 1999 and another in 2002. His attendance left him with more questions than answers.

Benny began to partner with a relative Joe Huizar. Together, they conducted a lot of research and visiting, travelled alot of backroads and walked through alot of cemeteries together. They inquired among the relatives here locally if they were ready to hold a regular reunion. In the fall of 2009 the reunion planning started. The reunion was held in July of 2010.

That first official reunion had 938 pre registered and over 1000 in attendance. The Esparza Descendants have the reunion every 3 years with the next one scheduled for 2029.

We look forward to hearing Benny Garza’s account of his descendant’s involvement during the Battle of The Alamo. This family history directly coincides with the writing of the Travis Letter. Benny will be presenting during our dedication ceremony this Friday at 9 am at the Atascosa County Courthouse.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair

10/13/2026

Good evening, I have received inquiries recently regarding Historical Markers. There seems to be a renewed interest in these and there is some detail that I should publish for public reference.

The Historical Marker Application period is currently closed. The period usually opens from March- May each year. The subjects are chosen and voted on by the Atascosa County Historical Commission each year, usually in September the previous year. The application requires a 10 page narrative, landowner consent for marker placement and Historical Commission Vote Approval.

The marker process from application to ceremony takes about 2 years ( approximately).

Subject Markers by Texas Historical Commission Criteria must date back 50 years although Historic events may be marked after 30 years.
Cemetery Markers require a cemetery historic designation to be filed prior to a historic medallion being applied for.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Markers
(RTHL) markers are awarded to structures deemed
worthy of preservation for their historical associations and architectural significance. RTHL is a legal designation and comes with a measure of protection; it is the highest honor the state can bestow on a historic structure, and the designation is required for this type of marker.

Historical markers and history in general can be sensitive. This commission will always seek support and approval from families, if any are available for marker applications. This process applies to all markers, historic applications and designations.

All markers have a cost associated with them. For small subject markers (18”x 28”) with pole-$1,500
For large subject markers (27” x 42”) with pole -$2,500. Cemetery medallion with or without pole- $900.

For historical marker questions, you can visit:
https://thc.texas.gov/preserve/preservation-programs/historical-markers/apply-historical-marker
Or you can simply call or email this office for guidance.

The above information is general public information from the Texas Historical Commission’s Website. The Atascosa County Historical Commission uses the same rules and guidelines.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair
830-480-2741
[email protected]

The 2026 application period is now closed. We look forward to working with you in 2027! For more information on the steps to apply, see the accordions below labeled 1, 2, and 3. The application materials can take several months to compile, so preparing as soon as possible is recommended.Stay tuned ....

10/11/2026

As we lead up to The Travis Letter Ceremony this Friday, I’d like to put a spotlight on our 3 presenters on the program.

Today, I’ll start with Lytle ISD Veteran Educator, Mr. Jerrod Cavazos.

Mr. Cavazos has been in the educations setting for 22 years.He graduated from the University of Texas, San Antonio with a bachelor's in history and a Master's in Military History from American Public University.

When not directly teaching, he manages to stay involved by coordinating events that provide students with a better respect and understanding of history and government. Each year he plans grade level field trips that tie directly to parts of history such as field trips to Austin to visit the state capital as well as the Bob Bullock Museum and trips to the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Locally, for the past 15 years, he has coordinated the Annual ‘History Day’ event to expand students' understanding of history at Lytle Jr. High.

We look forward to hear Mr. Cavazos’ perspective of the Travis Letter in Texas History.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair

10/01/2026

On Friday October 9, 2026 at 10 am, we will celebrate with Gracie’s Beauty Salon.

This local business, opened in 1974 will join a group of elite businesses in the county as a Texas Treasure Business!

This celebration of Mrs. Arguijo’s accomplishment is open to the public for the community to share this milestone with Gracie and the Family!

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair

09/22/2026

09/20/2026

Yesterday, the City of Lytle celebrated the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Lytle. To honor the event, ACHC Members David Emery and Laura Zuhlke interviewed descendants of Captain John T. Lytle.

Captain John T. Lytle donated land to create a new city. In 1883, Lytle consisted of a general store, a bar, and a casketmaker named W. J. Garnand, who also became the first postmaster.

Captain Lytle was also credited with the development of the Great Western Cattle Trail that drove livestock from Mexico through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Dakotas and stretched as far north as Montana.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair

08/18/2026

Today we remember the Battle of Medina which occurred on August 18, 1813. For years, the battle site had been lost to history. To this day, there is much debate about the location of the battle site, until 2023.

This is when countless hours of detailed map research and metal detecting paid off. With the help of Dr Todd Ahlman with Texas State University, select artifacts were tested and confirmed as Battle of Medina related.

As of this date, we have excavated 148 artifacts including lead shot, lead balls, accoutrements, buttons and related material. These items were collected from a site with the most concentrated volume of artifacts on a single site.

We do know that this was a running battle. How far and where did this site start or end? We don’t know that yet. Hopefully, with help from local landowners we will one day have this Battle that impacted World History mapped out.

Altogether, leading the ACHC as these discoveries unfold, has been one of the most exciting projects I have undertaken.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair

08/11/2026

Mrs Hilda Saenz sent in this photo labeled ‘Jourdanton Ward School’. The back of the photo also identifies Eluteria Garza (Hilda Saenz’s aunt) being in the second grade in this photo.

The year is unknown but Hilda assumes it’s the early 1930’s. Eluteria is the 6th student from the left in the back full row with her face partially obscured.

What a great photo! Thank you Mrs. Saenz.

Martin Gonzales
ACHC Chair