Snapshot: Intern Alicia Guzman!
Alicia
joined us during her last semester studying Public History at St. Mary's University. As we transitioned to remote work in March, she demonstrated resilience and professionalism at every turn. We wish her all the best in her next adventure!
Check out the historic photos from the Conservation Society on the ScoutSA Discovery Map!
I started interning with the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation’s ScoutSA in January. Initially, I was very nervous on my first day but that soon subsided upon meeting with my supervisor Dr. Hay. She was extremely warm and welcoming. My first task assigned to me was to scan in surveys from a project circa 1970s. At first, it seemed it would be tedious to only scan for five hours at a time. I soon realized that there was so much information to be learned by simply reading the surveys. I learned about various architecture styles, streets in San Antonio (some of which do not even exist anymore), and the history of my own alma mater, St. Mary’s University. It was interesting to see all of this information because it is like a brief window into another time. That is something of significant value.
After completing the scanning initiative, I started working with my coworker to date structures. This is what became very interesting to me. Dating development and parcels provided many valuable lessons but particularly the ability to conduct research through a variety of databases while cultivating a skillset and new base of knowledge. Utilizing city directories (some more than a hundred years old) and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps we discovered the journeys of the lives of residents from their marriages, birth of children, businesses, whether they rented or were homeowners, and even race and ethnicity. Not only did you get to see the evolution of development in San Antonio residentially and commercially, but I got to learn about the people. After attending a presentation given by few staff members from OHP, I specifically learned about different architectural aspects and key features throughout the decades regarding residential development and preservation in relation to realty. Now, I cannot drive through a neighborhood or my small town in Michigan without mentally dating homes. I used this new knowledge on the Buena Vista Historical District application and the St. Cecilia project. During the St. Cecilia project I looked to see what structures were still existing by cross referencing the aforementioned sources, Google Maps, and a list of demolition permits that had been pulled. It was kind of sad seeing so many places being demolished due to poor maintenance or commercial business wanting to build things like car washes in their place. Due to COVID-19, I transitioned into working remotely.
Since working remotely, I have worked on a variety of blog posts, social media posts, and tutorials. These posts were written to promote the ScoutSA Discovery Map in an easy and accessible way as an educational resource. They were also written in English and Spanish so larger numbers of the population could be reached. I also worked to establish interesting photos from the San Antonio Conservation Society’s archive to highlight for Preservation Month. I inputted the data and tried to establish addresses for the sites in the photographs. You can find these photos on the Discovery Map!
I am glad that I had the opportunity to intern at City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation’s ScoutSA. The lessons I have learned here will have a lifelong impact and have helped already in terms of my post graduate endeavors. I wish that COVID-19 would not have cut my in-office experience so short. I appreciate Dr. Hay and Jessica’s willingness to provide professional development advice and guidance.