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UNIVERSAL CITY,
TEXAS
Bexar
County, South Texas
29°33'10.381"N 98°18'27.274"W
(29.552883698, -98.307576166)
Highways 78 & 218 and Loop 1604
15 Miles NE of downtown San
Antonio the county seat
18 Miles SW of Seguin
Population: 20,532 Est. (2017)
18,530 (2010) 14,849 (2000) 13,057(1990)
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History
in a Pecan Shell
A developed community with no 19th century history. It was born at
the north gate of Randolph Field. Randolph began operations in late
1931 and the following year a gas station opened. From this modest
begining - the town was born. Not a town - a city. Not just a city
- but Universal City. The name is said to denote "the universal importance"
of the air base.
The population remained small for the first thirty years. In 1960
there was still less than 1,000 Universal Citizens. A lumber company
owner started building houses in 1950. Things began taking off in
1963 when the base population was bolstered by the transfer of the
Air Force Manpower Personnel Center from Washington, D. C. It's status
as a "real" city was debatable. While most towns were started with
a post office - Universal City didn't get one until 1971. The population
was estimated at only 950 in 1964. But by the 1970s it had grown to
over 7,500 prople. The majority of Universal City's population is
retired military - or active military living off-base. Local schools
fall under the juristiction of the Judson ISD of Converse,
Texas. |
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EDENS CEMETERY
Universal City, Texas
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Historical Marker:
Edens Cemetery
Early Anglo settlers
to Texas, the John Edens family arrived in Houston
County in 1831. John's son Banister Edens, along with his wife
Mary Walker Edens and their family, moved to Bexar
County in 1855. By 1856 Banister Edens had acquired 350 acres
of land near Selma on Cibolo Creek. Mary Edens died January 10, 1856,
and was buried close to the family farmhouse that once stood near
this site. Her grave marks the beginning of this small family cemetery.
Civil War veteran Napoleon Augustus Edens, son of Banister and Mary
Edens, and his wife Mary Faith Grigsby Edens moved to the family farm
in 1866. They joined his father and stepmother in ranching and farming,
and later bought the family farm.
During the thirty-five years that Napoleon and Mary Faith Edens remained
on the farm, five more burials took place in the family graveyard.
The last known burial, in 1902, was that of W.K. Kella, son in law
of Napoleon and Mary Faith Edens.
When the Edens farm was sold in 1901, the family retained ownership
of the small cemetery. The site and the grounds are maintained by
Edens family descendants.
(1996) |
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Woman Hollering
Creek as it flows southeast from its source ponds toward FM 1518 and
further down where it crosses under I-10. Woman Hollering Creek empties
into Martinez Creek just northeast of St
Hedwig.
- Ruben R. Hernandez, June 2007 |
Woman
Hollering Creek
I have lived in Universal City, just outside the front gate to Randolph
Air Force Base, for over 45 years. I take my grandchildren fishing
on the small ponds / lakes just south of the base golf course. These
ponds are the source of Woman
Hollering Creek. A map found on page 137 of Rand McNally's San
Antonio and Vicinity shows its source, although the small ponds
are not shown. The ponds shown on the map are within the golf course;
although the creek's source ponds are outside the golf course boundaries.
The [above photo] shows Woman
Hollering Creek as it flows southeast from its source ponds toward
FM 1518 and further down where it crosses under I-10. Woman Hollering
Creek empties into Martinez Creek just northeast of St
Hedwig.
As I understand it, Webster's Handy College Dictionary defines "holler"
as the verb/noun "yell". I would not confuse "hollering" with "weeping"
as the
legend of La Llorona implies. The legend of Woman
Hollering Creek is totally different. The old folks in the Universal
City area have told me that the woman "hollering" was actually a pioneer
woman who went to the creek to either get water or to wash clothes
and was attacked by indians, thus she "hollered" or yelled for help.
A friend whose family owned a ranch for many years on Lower Seguin
Rd, about 1/2 mile from the creek's source, vouched for the story
several years ago. I passed the legend on to my grandchildren as we
netted minnows at the source of the creek. - Sincerely, Ruben R. Hernandez,
Universal City, June 28, 2007 |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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