Von Ormy, Texas
City in the United States in Bexar County
About Von Ormy
Von Ormy ( von OR-mee) is a city in southwest Bexar County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,174. It is part of the San Antonio metropolitan area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Von Ormy is governed
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Residents of Von Ormy
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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Population over time
From 1,085 in 2010 to 1,174 in 2020 (+8.2%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,174 |
| 2010 | 1,085 |
History
Early history
Archeological findings show that Von Ormy has had continuous human habitation for an estimated 8,000 years. Spanish explorers encountered bands of Payaya, Pastia, and other Coahuiltecan Indians living in the area of present-day Von Ormy. During the 18th century, Lipan Apache and Comanche displaced the earlier native peoples along the Medina River valley. The Medina River and its tributaries were a source of food, flint, and other resources that drew natives to their banks.
European settlers, initially Franciscan missionaries and Spanish and mestizo soldiers, arrived in the region in the early 18th century, intent on subduing and proselytizing the natives. Canary Islanders arrived soon after to settle the nearby town of Bejar (modern day San Antonio). They began to raise cattle along the Medina River and were involved in the cattle trade between Spanish Louisiana and South Texas. Notable among these were the Ruiz, Perez, Navarro, Hernandez, and Casillas families. Manuel Ruiz de Pesia founded the earliest known cattle ranch in present-day Von Ormy in the mid-1760s. In 1809, Ignacio Perez received a massive land grant south of the Medina River. A ranch house complex was built at the present site of the Von Ormy Castle. In 1813, during the Mexican War of Independence, the Battle of the Medina was fought nearby. Antonio López de Santa Anna served as a lieutenant and became familiar with the area during this campaign. In 1827, Blas Maria Herrera, who married into the Ruiz family, established the first permanent settlement with his wife in the area. Early records of Von Ormians can be found in the baptismal, burial, and marriage records of Mission San Jose and Mission Espada; they are usually listed as living "on the Medina" or simply "Medina". By the early 19th century, Von Ormy was an established community, serving as the crossing point of the Medina along the Camino Real.
The Texas Revolution
During the War for Texas Independence, Santa Anna (now the Mexican president and general-in-chief) camped in the future site of the town prior to making his final march on the Alamo. This spot is marked by the "Santa Anna Oak," a large live oak under which the general encamped. The tree is 12 ft. in diameter at the base and has been estimated by UTSA as over 600 years old. The site is now inhabited by the Alamo River Resort, a camping and fishing park. At 2:00am on June 16, 2021, the tree collapsed into 3 different sections.
Blas María Herrera, sometimes referred to as the "Paul Revere of Texas," rode his horse from Laredo to San Antonio to warn the town of Santa Anna's approach. Other area residents who served in the Texian Army include Bernardindo Ruiz, Jose Maria Ruiz, Hemergildo Ruiz, Juan Casillas, and Juan Martinez. Ignacio Perez remained loyal to Mexico.
Republic of Texas and early statehood
After the war, the doors to the Alamo were taken to the Herrera ranch, where they stayed until 1984, when the Daughters of the Republic of Texas brought them back to the Texas shrine during their restoration of the Alamo. The historic Ruiz-Herrera family cemetery was established shortly after the war and is the burial place of Blas Herrera, as well as Francisco Antonio Ruiz, who was alcalde, or mayor, of San Antonio during the siege of the Alamo.
The Republic of Texas began to issue overlapping land titles to Texas veterans on the Ignacio Perez Grant of 1809. This eventually led to a series of court cases that dispossessed the Perez family of their land.
During the Republic of Texas, the ranches along the Medina began to flourish. The first Catholic church in Von Ormy had been established on the ranch of Blas Herrera between 1836 and 1841. In 1866, it was rebuilt by Bishop Odin of Galveston as Santisima Trinidad Mission and was located at Garza's Crossing on the Medina River. Ruins of the church can be seen today, and the historic cemetery is being eroded by the river.
In the 1850s, Miguel de la Garza operated a ferry across the Medina River on the Herrera Ranch. At this time, the town became known as Garza's Crossing or Paso de las Garzas.
Civil War and Reconstruction
Secession sentiment was mixed in the area. Von Ormy in 1861 was settled mainly by German and Mexican Catholics, who largely opposed secession and supported Sam Houston's Union Democrat ticket. In 1861, locals organized a cavalry company known as the Medina Guards. Reflecting the local population, it was roughly half Tejano and half Anglo/German. Nearly all of the Medina Guards transferred to the 2nd Texas Cavalry, when their unit was set to transform into an infantry unit. They saw action in the New Mexican theater, including the Battle of Glorieta Pass. A company of Texas state troops was permanently encamped in Von Ormy during the war to patrol and protect San Antonio from Comanche raids.
Leading up to the Civil War, San Antonio merchant Enoch Jones, who was then the wealthiest man in Texas, acquired one of the overlapping land grants on the south bank of the Medina River. There, he built a fortified ranch house adjacent to the old Ignacio Perez hacienda house, locally known as "the Castle on the Medina". Jones opposed secession and believed that his political views would hurt sales at his general store in Main Plaza, so he sold it and dedicated the remainder of his life to building the Castle on the Medina. He died in 1863, and soon thereafter, his estate went into bankruptcy. Most of the land in the Von Ormy area was sold off to pay debts, but Elizabeth Jones and her sister lived in the Castle until the mid-1880s.
Following the war, Von Ormy became a hub for trade as the North experienced a shortage of beef. Cattle drives originating in South Texas drew a new wave of immigrants from northern Mexico, which was then experiencing its own war. Families such as the Flores, Vara, and Reyes arrived during this era from Coahuila, originally as cowboys and ranch hands.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.