overview
The History Here program prioritizes undertold and geographically diverse stories, substantiated by research, embedded community knowledge, oral traditions, and other nontraditional approaches to public history. Nominations are reviewed by community members representing neighborhoods and organizations across San Antonio, and nominations that are accepted result in the installation of the marker like the one pictured below.
While there is no fee to nominate, the resulting marker costs $250, a fee incurred by the nominator. See the section below titled History Here Marker.
NOMINATION GUIDE
Before you begin the online nomination form, prepare the following required materials:
- Proposed name of site: This
is the text in caps below the program name. You don't have to choose a name--it
could simply be the address, or you could suggest a name for the site that
describes the person, event, etc. you're celebrating, like "The Carol
Burnett House" or "Grave of Pat the Horse."
- Site address: The
street address, description of intersection, or the latitude/longitude where
the marker would be installed.
- Marker text: This
is the short narrative about your nominee that will appear on the History Here
marker. It should not exceed about 100 words, or two to three sentences. OHP
staff will work with a translation service to generate the Spanish language
version of your text. Looking for tips on how to write the narrative for your sign? Consult this
guide for writing a marker inscription.
- Citations and sources: Compile
the names of authors; titles of books, articles, etc.; and/or links to
information you found online and used to inform your nomination. If you're
nominating based on community knowledge, oral traditions, or other
nontraditional sources, please describe them as best you can and include names
and contact information such as phone numbers, emails, and/or addresses when
possible. This information does not appear on the marker.
- Permission from property owner or description of where sign could be installed in the right-of-way: We ask that you reach out to the property owner to let them
know you plan to nominate something affiliated with their property and that you
provide the owner's contact information to staff so we can coordinate marker
installation. Property owner information can be found at bcad.org. If the
nominated site is on public property or in an easement or public right-of-way,
you can list the City of San Antonio as the property owner. If you're unable to reach the property owner, please contact OHP staff at 210.207.7984 or ohp@sanantonio.gov before completing the nomination form.
You can also share optional supplemental materials to provide a more thorough history of your site or story:
- Long-form narrative, to be shared on OHP's Discovery Map
- Historic photos, maps, articles, and/or any other relevant materials
- Anything else you think will help create a more colorful story!
Once you've collected and finalized all your materials, you're ready to submit your nomination!
Nomination Review
OHP staff reviews your nomination for completeness and will reach out if we require more information. Once your nomination is complete, we pass it along to our Community Review Committee, comprised of San Antonians representing a number of community organizations like the Conservation Society of San Antonio; Esperanza Peace & Justice Center; AIA San Antonio; students and faculty representing local public history, area studies, and preservation programs; and others. We'll share information here about these community partners once committee membership is confirmed.
History Here Marker
If the Community Review Committee approves your nomination, OHP staff will coordinate with you regarding marker purchase and installation. While there is no fee to nominate, nominators must cover the cost of a weather-graded plastic sign to be installed at the site, which is $250.
If you or the organization you represent do not wish to incur this cost, we encourage you to find a sponsor (or more than one sponsor!) for your sign. Each marker has room for sponsor logos or names in the right column of the sign.
Questions about this program? Contact OHP staff at 210.207.7984 or ohp@sanantonio.gov, or use our contact form.
