PARK AND CEMETERY. 
13 
DEVELOPMENT of SAN ANTONIO’S TWO CEMETERIES 
Some months ago we described in these 
pages the competition for designs held by 
the Mission Cemetery, San Antonio, Tex., 
for which the winning design was fur- 
nished by E. Habecker. 
San Antonio also has a private cemetery 
known as Mission Burial Park, directly 
across the Mission Loop from the city 
tract, so that the two names are somewhat 
confusing. The plan shown here is of the 
grounds of the city “Mission Cemetery,” 
while the ether views are of the “Mission 
Burial Park.” W. H. Chambers, superin- 
tendent of the Mission Burial Park, se- 
lected its site on account of its natural 
beauty and location. It is located five and 
one-half miles from the center of the city 
and has a front of half a mile on the most 
popular automobile drive, the Mission 
Loop, so named because this drive passes 
three of the old Spanish missions. The 
groves are located between the San Jose 
and the San Juan missions, hence the 
name, “Mission Burial Park.” One of our 
views shows the office building of this 
tract and another is a view just inside of 
the entrance, showing the residence of S. 
S. Jewett, the assistant superintendent. 
This picture also shows a water tower. 
The water garden seen in this view is 
stocked with large gold-fish. 
Mission Burial Park is controlled by a 
private corporation and has 137 acres of 
ground, with 15 acres improved. It was 
chartered on May 18, 1909. The grounds 
were planned by Hare & Hare, of Kansas 
City, Mo., and the improvements to date 
have cost $31,500. There have been 208 
interments. The perpetual care fund 
amounts to $1,607.71 and is loaned by the 
trustees on real estate at 8 per cent. Fif- 
teen per cent of sales are applied to this 
fund. One of the interesting landscape 
features is the river, and the grove along 
the river, of stately pecan trees. There is 
a concrete dam in the river ten feet high 
and the ground is above high water. Pe- 
can, hackberry, wesatche and mesquite trees 
are numerous on the grounds. The water 
supply is pumped into the mains from the 
river. There are more than two miles of 
improved roads. The cemetery is con- 
ducted strictly on the lawn plan, with re- 
strictions regarding mounds over graves, 
which are limited to 2 l A inches in height. 
Only one monument is allowed to a lot, 
and individual markers must not be more 
than six inches above ground. Designs of 
monuments or vaults must be submitted to 
the cemetery for approval. There is a 
public receiving vault and chapel of stone 
and stucco. The vault has twelve crypts 
and the chapel seats 100. It cost $18,000. 
There are two concrete water gardens and 
four fountains. Drives are curved, with 
small parks at all drive intersections, elim- 
inating right angle turns. Important im- 
provements contemplated include crematory 
and greenhouses. 
The City Mission Cemetery is situated 
about 5 Z A miles south of the city and is 
bounded on the west by the Corpus Christi 
road, on the east by the San Jose road, 
on the south by the Ashley road and on 
the north by a 60-foot open roadway con- 
necting the Corpus Christi road and the 
San Jose road. 
The area is 536 acres, including the land 
let to the United States government for an 
experiment station and farm. 
The location is an ideal one in many re- 
spects; so is the drainage and the charac- 
ter of the soil. The top soil increases in 
depth with the elevation of the ground, 
and is sufficiently deep and rich to support 
a good growth of vegetation, while the 
subsoil, consisting of gravel and sand, is 
the most suitable for cemetery purposes 
on account of its porosity. The ground is 
CHAPEL, MISSION BURIAL PARK, SAN ANTONIO, TEX. 
INSIDE THE ENTRANCE. MISSION BURIAL PARK, SAN ANTONIO. TEX. 
