Annotated Bibliography

The New Handbook of Texas

This was a good source for specific dates.

The Texas Historical Association,1906

This book was a good source of the history of Sabinal.

A Proud Heritage: A History of Uvalde County,TX

This book was written by the people who live in Sabinal and was a good source on their perception of their town.

Interviews

Mayor Richard Wisnieska

How was Sabinal established?

It started out as being a fort set up to help the Indians, and from there it evolved into a town.

Did it used to be small or big?

Sabinal was a big town; we used to have three banks and five cotton gins. When this town was first established, we had the Sabinal Christian that contained a singing school. This singing school used to be known throughout the nation.

What are some interesting facts to know about this town?

Sabinal- would have been the county seat, which is now Uvalde, because of how large we were.

Sabinal is also considered to be the "Gateway to the Hill Country". Sabinal is a nice place to stop before going into Lost Maples, Concan, or Gardener State Park. It is also the last place you can get liquor before going into these areas. Although we sell liquor we do not sell hard liquor, and if you take liquor into any place it must be in a glass and not in the container it was bought in.

What is the predominant race, culture, etc.?

I don't know if it has always been this way but we have approximately 57 percent Hispanics and 48 percent Whites. The people that work here are usually either farmers or ranchers. Actually one of the families here in town just received a reward for having one of the oldest cattle ranches that has stayed in the family for over 150 years.

I do believe that our town was one of the last to take down discriminating signs to other races. This of course, is not something that we our proud of, but it is a part of our history.

Do you believe that the population is increasing or decreasing?

Well we used to have a population of 1800 a long time ago and last year we were at 1500, and although almost 50 students have been more students enrolled here in our school our population has only increased by about eight. Of course, this is most likely due to the fact that not all the people filled out their census.

Has the economy decreased or increased?

I believe we have increased. We used to have many vacant buildings but now they are occupied by a variety of business. Two of these businesses are owned by people who make furniture. This furniture is sent out to cities all over Texas and some sold through Dillard's. A dining room chair ranges at about $700.

Are there any stories or myths here in Sabinal?

There is a 96-year-old woman that has lived in Sabinal all her life. She lives in home that used to be for wagons and it was almost like a fort. She swears that every night there's an Indian ghost that haunts her. Every night she bolts the doors and when she wakes up they're unbolted.

Glenda Story

What are some interesting facts about Sabinal?

There's an old ordinance stating that on Sundays no one could drink any alcoholic drinks.

Johnny Rodriguez, a famous western singer from the 1970's, lived in Sabinal and he was arrested for stealing a cow. His talent was discovered while he was singing in the jail cell.

What is the predominant religion in Sabinal?

There is no predominant religion here, but we do have many churches. There is the Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, and Spanish Christian church.

What is the percentage of people in this town that attend church?

The majority of the people attend one of the seven churches in this town. Probably a little more than 50 percent of the people attend services regularly.

Don Coleman, Chief of Police

Can you give us some interesting facts about this town?

Well, a long time ago there was an ordinance stating that no person was allowed to go anywhere in public wearing a mask. This was put into place because of the earlier problems with the KKK.

Another interesting fact about the town is that there were no street addresses. When someone would call 911 for an emergency, they would simply state the name of the owner's house. Even today, one still has to know everyone in the town.