Caroline Bonnet
(1830-1914)
John Hermann Kampmann
(1819-1885)
The Kampmanns
Married in 1850, German-born Caroline and John Kampmann worked to build San Antonio from a pioneer town to a thriving urban center. John became San Antonio's premier builder, managing such achievements as the Menger Hotel and Lone Star Brewery. By his death in 1885, he was credited with building a third of downtown. Meanwhile, Caroline worked to produce the organizational infrastructure that would carry San Antonio into the future. She generated investment for social welfare, served on the railroad expansion committees, donated land for vital economic projects, and acted on the Loan & Trust Board of Directors. When her husband died, Caroline managed his empire. In 1900, she donated land for San Antonio's first free public library and convinced her friend, Andrew Carnegie, to donate funding. The Caroline B. and John H. Kampmann San Antonio Public Library Portal is dedicated to honor the Kampmanns' memory and their contributions to our city.
Images courtesy of Judith Carrington & the Witte Museum
