The HISTORY of EDEN
Eden subdivision was the design and development of Ray Ellison. Ellison began his career in construction in 1949 as a 2-man business and emerged to become San Antonio’s largest individually owned firm (Rayco), building more than 55,000 homes in San Antonio before being sold to KB Homes in 1996. Ellison homes offered buyers bigger lots and more square footage at an affordable price. Eden home construction began in the mid 1970’s, and it was said Ellison took special pride and interest in its development. A total of 1227 homes were built in Eden prior to closeout of construction in 1992.
We can’t be certain when Ellison purchased this parcel of land, but, recent historical research does record this Wetmore area as originally settled by African Americans -- former Buffalo Soldiers and prior enslaved workers.
The original pond at Eden’s entrance on Tavern Oaks is believed to have once been a cattle tank. There are photos that showed wooden cabins at the entrance, and a few original
home owners recall cattle once grazing there. Eden’s new homeowners liked the pond, but not the cabins. Therefore, the pond was embellished into a tri-peninsula shape, and sadly, the cabins were demolished.
The original pond proved to be a big attraction for new residents (and migrating waterfowl that tended to stay). Originally, the pond covered over 15,000 square feet in surface area, was very shallow, had a bentonite (clay) bottom subject to cracks, no aeration, and no natural source of water. In the
summer of 2018,
irreparable cracks
developed in the
bentonite, and the
cost for resupply of
water became
unsustainable for the EHA. Plans to restore the pond were developed and an enormous fundraising campaign was organized. In only one year, funds were available to begin the restoration process. The new design is a bit less than half the surface area, but its twice as deep. Water evaporation and leakage are far less, and the water temperatures are far cooler due to the depth. However, it still has no natural source for water and an overpopulation of waterfowl; therefore, the costs for its water resupply and maintenance are still a large expense for the EHA!
The new pond was dedicated in October 2019 and enjoys countless visitors each day, most coming with bags of food to feed the ducks and geese. Overfeeding and misfeeding the waterfowl are detrimental to the health of the ducks as well as the pond! We encourage visitors to enjoy the pond and its waterfowl, but discourage feeding. However, if you do feed them, it should be a “small” amount of food such as peas, lettuce, cracked corn, oats or seeds. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE THEM BREAD!
