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This past Saturday, January 22nd, 2022, as part of Dreamweek 2022, a virtual discussion was held that focused on the recent unearthing of the remains of the original site of San Antonio’s first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church during the recent activities for the construction of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
Hosted by San Antonio River Authority and Texas Public Radio, the virtual panel discussion was moderated by Carrie Brown, Public Art Curator for San Antonio River Authority, and consisted of: Dr. Steve Tomka, Cultural Resources Manager, Raba Kistner, Dr. Carey Latimore, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History, Trinity University, Matthew Elverson, City Archeologist of the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation, and Al Smith, Pastor, St. James AME Church.
The two-hour discussion provided insight on not only the origin and current state of the findings and integrating it into the reconstruction of San Pedro Creek Park but also providing context regarding the history and heritage of this important cornerstone of San Antonio African American history.
“The San Pedro Creek Culture Park is a partnership between Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, and the San Antonio River Authority” Brown said, “the River Authority are the project managers and when the park opens, we perform the operations and maintenance”. Brown also mentioned the construction of the Frost Bank Tower, the SAISD Headquarters, and Texas Public Radio’s recent move in the area where the park is located.
Another important part of the discussion was through providing insight from archeological, education, church, and government officials alike, programming aimed at showcasing the important African American history that the San Pedro Creek Culture Park has unearthed is going to be one of San Antonio River Authority’s primary goals once the park opens in the fall.
“We are excited about the findings because it brings African American community,” Pastor Smith said, “now we can make our contributions known and we hope and pray that we are able to bring African American community and highlight some of the historical things that we have done throughout the City of San Antonio.”
As construction is still underway, the target date for the park to be open to the public will be Fall 2022. For more information on the archeological site, individuals interested in knowing more can log on to www. spcculturepark.com
