For eight months in 1872, Samuel Galitzen Newton served as mayor of San Antonio.
The former Confederate captain and attorney died six years later, and the site of his home became San Antonio’s first public high school. That was 1882.
Last year, what remains of the Newton house was uncovered along with the ruins of an acequia system, or irrigation ditches, that once provided water to the area.
When construction of San Antonio ISD’s Fox Tech High School campus is completed in 2027, a historic marker will be placed at the site of the discovery.
Due to its location in downtown San Antonio, the district is required by city and state code to complete an archaeological study and, if discoveries are made, to contact the city’s Office of Historic Preservation and the Texas Historical Commission.
A district spokeswoman said “a comprehensive archeological report” has been generated that includes a history of the buildings, their occupants, and the materials used in constructing them.
“We have taken protective measures to preserve the structures themselves so that our construction will not further impact the materials,” SAISD spokeswoman Laura Short stated. “Once construction is complete, the areas will be denoted with historical markers in coordination with the Texas Historical Commission.”
A spokesman for the Historical Commission said it has not yet received the report.
The San Pedro Creek Park District, where the ruins were discovered on the school campus, is about to undergo a major physical transformation with new residential and lodging developments planned along with a new Minor League Baseball park.
In 2020, crews working on a segment of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park unearthed the cornerstone of the 1875 St. James AME Church, historically significant for its contributions in the post-Civil War era.
To commemorate the discovery and the site, on June 18, the San Antonio River Foundation will unveil a new $2 million public art project with an open-air pavilion and poetry at what is now known as the St. James AME Culture Crossing.
Archaeological investigation
The Newton house and acequia ruins were found during SAISD’s 2020 Bond construction projects on the Fox Tech campus and an archaeological study on the property in 2025.
The Newton house ruins were discovered in the south parking lot of the school.
Remnants of the 1700s-era acequia were found in front of the CAST Tech portion of the campus.
Due to its location in downtown San Antonio, city surveyors needed to review the campus to ensure construction teams are within their means for digging, drilling, and more, stated a district spokeswoman.
The archeological study completed by the engineering firm, Pape Dawson, revealed that there were culturally sensitive areas prompting the team, and construction contractor Bartlett Cocke, to excavate with that in mind.
A review and approval of the high school’s renewal project by the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission also required archaeological investigation in compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas.
The renovation project includes a new performing arts building, new black box theater and renovations to the competition and secondary gyms. It is expected to be complete in summer 2027.
When construction is complete, the areas will be denoted with historical markers in coordination with the Texas Historical Commission.
