It has been said that "He who knows the history of San Antonio, knows the history of Texas." With this in mind, the San Antonio Conservation Society was founded on July 8, 1925. "The purpose for which it was formed is to preserve and encourage the preservation of historic buildings, objects, and places relating to the history of Texas and its natural beauty and all that is admirably distinctive of our State and by such physical preservation to keep the history of Texas legible and intact to educate the public, and especially the youth of today and tomorrow, for knowledge of our inherited regional values."

During its years as a corporate body, the Society has accomplished the preservation of the San Antonio River from its intended fate as a concrete covered ditch; the restoration and preservation of the old Granary at the San Jose Mission, now designated a National Historic Site; the protection of the Espada Spanish Mission aqueduct; and the yearly presentation of the Colonial Spanish Christmas play "Los Pastores."