Elmendorf

Elmendorf is at the junction of the Southern Pacific Railroad and Farm Road 327, some seventeen miles southeast of downtown San Antonio in southeastern Bexar County. The town was established in 1885 and named for Henry Elmendorf, former mayor of San Antonio and promoter of the first brick plant in the vicinity. W. F. Saenger discovered that the clay in the area was suitable for pottery, and that became an important local industry. A post office opened at the community in 1886, and by 1890 Elmendorf had a pottery, a general store, a hotel, and a population of fifty. The settlement grew rapidly after 1900, and by 1914 it had nine general stores, a cotton gin, a hotel, and a population of 300. The community's largest employer for many years was Star Clay Products, a firebrick factory. The population of Elmendorf was consistently reported as 300 until the 1950s. During the 1960s it fell to 200, but later it grew steadily, and in 1990 the town reported 568 residents and eighteen businesses. The population in 2000 was 664.