Travis Park was once part of the upper farmlands of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (today known worldwide as the Alamo). After the mission was closed, the land was sold to Francisco Garcia in 1819, and in 1851 to Samuel Augustus Maverick, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, who lived at the northwest corner of Alamo Plaza and used this property for his orchard.
After Maverick died in 1870, the land was deeded to the City, and an 1873 map calls the square Travis Plaza, named for Col. William Travis, commander of the Texan troops at the Alamo.
By 1876, the city had planted grass, installed wooden painted benches, and soon enclosed the park with a white-washed fence. Concerts were held in a fancy, Victorian-style bandstand. The fence was removed in 1891 to improve access, and the bandstand, too expensive to repair, was torn down in 1937.
The development of Travis Park into a formal urban square was a result of the City Beautiful Movement which sought to integrate beauty and order into the urban landscape during the 1890s and the early 1900s. This coincided with an increase in the establishment of Civil War memorials in southern cities following the death of Robert E. Lee in 1870 and the end of Reconstruction in 1877.
The focal point of Travis Park is the Confederate Civil War Monument in the center. The monument was erected in 1899 and was funded by the Barnard E. Bee Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy. The park had served as a camp for Confederate soldiers, and seemingly, a hospital for wounded soldiers was located on the site.
Two cannons, used during the Civil War battle of Valverde, New Mexico, were given to the city by Major Trevanion T. Teel in 1892 and installed in the park. Although formerly in storage, one cannon has been restored and returned to the park.
New development threatened the park during the mid 20th century when an attempt was made to build an underground parking garage in 1953. The heirs of the Maverick family stopped this venture.
In recent years, the park has benefited from improvement projects through the generosity of the San Antonio Parks Foundation. Work on the park began in 1982 with a contribution of $125,000 from the St. Anthony Hotel. Combined with a grant from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife Local Park fund and other sponsors, contributions for improvements totaled more than $400,000.
With a Halsell Foundation Grant in 1999 the Parks Foundation was able to provide park benches as well as an expansion and update of the irrigation system with the help of Home Depot volunteer labor. The Parks Foundation also contributed new sod for the park in 2002.
In 2013 and 2014, the park was the focal point of another restoration effort that brought programming to the park as well as new amenities. This revitalization of Travis Park was sparked by a grant from Southwest Airlines to support the city’s larger Placemaking efforts and engage the local community through new physical amenities, including games, umbrellas, tables and chairs.
Additionally, ongoing programming, such as Movies by Moonlight and free Fitness in the Park classes, were developed to attract locals and visitors alike. Closed for three months, the 2.6-acre park underwent extensive improvements including electrical upgrades funded from the 2012 Bond, the addition of a B-cycle station and a dog run, as well as infrastructure, maintenance and landscaping improvements.
Opening day on March 30, 2014, offered a variety of free events including zumba, yoga, live entertainment, food trucks, history tours and more. The reopening festivities concluded with Twilight on the Plaza, a special ticketed dinner that served to benefit future park maintenance and programming.