The historical status of Cape’s Dam will be up for discussion at tonight’s San Marcos City Council meeting.
Council will hold a public hearing and consider the first of two readings of an ordinance that would designate the dam and mill race as a local historic landmark. The dam was deemed eligible for a place in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The nomination form filed with the National Register states that William Alexander Thompson decided to build a mill along the San Marcos River and struck a deal with John Francis McGehee to construct the dam. In 1867, Thompson rebuilt the dam. In 1909, the dam, mill and surroundings were purchased by John Matthew Cape, who rebuilt all of the machinery associated with the mill and made improvements to the mill race. The Cape Gin Company used power from the river until 1942, when Cape’s Gin converted to electrical power.
In October, the Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval of the request to designate Cape’s Dam as a local historic landmark. However, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted in November to deny the request. Because P&Z recommended denial, six council members must vote for approval for the request to pass.
