A Guide to the Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association Records, 1980-1994

Historical Note

The Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association was founded in 1979 for the "protection, preservation and development of Mahncke and its surrounding neighborhood in all of its historical, physical, cultural and social aspects." The neighborhood is north of Fort Sam Houston and Brackenridge Avenue and south of Burr Road. It is bounded on the east by the San Antonio Country Club and on the west by Brackenridge Park.

An elected Board of Directors headed by a First Chairperson operates the Association. The Association also created several standing committees. The original committees were the History and Research Committee, the Mahncke Park Fair Committee, the Public Relations and Membership Committee, the Program Committee, the Block Captains' Committee, and a Neighborhood Concerns Committee. The Association held monthly meetings, which were open to the public. Members of the Association often met with San Antonio officials to discuss how to improve the quality of life in the Mahncke Park Neighborhood. Two prominent concerns in the 1980s were the sale of liquor and the presence of prostitutes.

The Association also produced a community newsletter to publicize their work, and often sponsored picnics and fairs to foster a sense of community in the area. As of May 2005, the Association remains active.

Source: "About the Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association," MPNA administrator, http://mahnckepark.org/.

Scope and Content Note

The Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association records span the years 1980 through 1994 and contain public documents, community Newsletters, and other documents that illustrate the concerns of the Association. It is divided into three series. The Administrative series contains the Association's bylaws and minutes of Board meetings. It also contains the work of the History and Records Committee in researching the history of Lamar school in 1984. The Neighborhood Planning and Concerns series contains information on several topics that caused the Association concern. It also contains information on neighborhood planning, neighborhood surveys, and public records such as police reports and a computer printout listing all the property in the neighborhood. The Mahncke Park Community Newsletter series contains issues of the Mahncke Park Community Newsletter dating from 1980-1994. From 1980 to 1986, almost every issue is in the collection. From 1987 to 1994, there are several large gaps between the issues of the newsletter.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Usage Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Records must be obtained from University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association Records, 1980-1994, MS 89, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Materials were donated by Francille Radman in 1999 (Acc. 1999-22).

Processing Information

The records were processed by Eric Hartmann in August 1999.

 Notes to Researchers 

More recent issues of the Mahncke Park Community Newsletter can be found at the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library.

Detailed Description of the Records