Fort Concho facts for kids
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Fort Concho Historic District
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Headquarters building, September 2017
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| Location | San Angelo, Texas, United States |
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| NRHP reference No. | 66000823 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD | July 4, 1961 |
Fort Concho is a historic former United States Army base located in San Angelo, Texas. It was built in November 1867 where the North and South Concho Rivers meet. The fort was important for protecting travelers and trade routes like the Butterfield Overland Mail Route and the Goodnight–Loving Trail. For 22 years, it was an active military base.
Fort Concho was home to the 4th Cavalry from 1867 to 1875. After that, the famous "Buffalo Soldiers" of the 10th Cavalry were stationed there from 1875 to 1882. Soldiers from Fort Concho took part in important campaigns, including the Red River War in 1874.
The fort closed in June 1889. Over the next 20 years, its buildings were used for homes and businesses, or their materials were reused. Efforts to save and restore Fort Concho began in the early 1900s, leading to the creation of the Fort Concho Museum in 1929. The city of San Angelo has owned and managed the property since 1935. Fort Concho was recognized as a National Historic Landmark on July 4, 1961. It is one of the best-preserved examples of the military bases built by the US Army in Texas.
The Fort Concho Historic District covers the fort's original 40-acre (16 ha) area and includes 23 buildings. Some of these are the oldest buildings in San Angelo. About 55,000 people visit the fort every year.
Fort Concho's Military Role
Fort Concho was built during the time when Americans were settling in Texas in the 1800s. This process began in the 1820s when Anglo-Americans moved into what was then Spanish and later Mexican territory. Europeans first explored the Concho River valley in the 1500s. The Spanish traded with the Jumano people, who lived there until the Apache peoples pushed them out in the 1690s. The Apache were then replaced by the Comanche by the mid-1700s.
In 1849, many American settlers started crossing West Texas to reach California because gold had been discovered. To keep its citizens safe, the United States Army built a series of forts along the frontier's travel routes between 1850 and 1852. One of these was Fort Chadbourne, built in 1852. The Butterfield Overland Mail route, a stagecoach line, was set up in 1858, with Fort Chadbourne as one of its stops.
The American Civil War began in 1861, stopping both these activities. The Butterfield route moved out of Texas, and the federal government gave its Texas forts to the Confederate States of America. Confederate Texas struggled to protect its lands, so white settlers moved eastward during the war. After the war ended in 1865, many people from the war-torn Southern States moved to Texas. Many became cattle herders and used trails like the Goodnight–Loving Trail, which brought many cattle through the Concho Valley.
Major General Philip Sheridan was put in charge of the military district covering Texas and Louisiana in 1867. The US Army was ordered to take back its pre-war bases in Texas. In May 1867, the 4th Cavalry reoccupied Fort Chadbourne. However, Fort Chadbourne did not have enough water. The US Army decided to build a new base. They chose the meeting point of the Concho Rivers because it was close to the routes they needed to guard, had good grazing land, and plenty of water.
In mid-1867, Major John Porter Hatch sent Lieutenant Peter M. Boehm to set up a camp on the Middle Concho River. Captain Michael J. Kelly and 50 soldiers set up this camp on the North Concho instead. On November 28, 1867, the 4th Cavalry's H Company left Fort Chadbourne for the Conchos. Captain George G. Huntt, H Company's commander, first named the new fort "Camp Hatch." In January 1868, he changed it to "Camp Kelly" to honor Kelly, who had died. Construction of a permanent outpost began north of the camp. Edward M. Stanton, the United States Secretary of War, named it Fort Concho in March 1868.
Building the Fort
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Captain David W. Porter was in charge of building Fort Concho starting in December 1867. Progress was slow because all building materials had to be shipped in. There were also arguments among the fort's officers. Porter hired civilian builders but was often away. In March 1868, Major George C. Cram replaced Porter. Cram was also often absent. By August, Captain Joseph Rendlebrock took over construction. By the end of 1868, Rendlebrock had finished the commissary (food store), quartermaster's storehouse, and part of the hospital.
The first permanent military buildings, five officers' homes and the first barracks, were finished by August 1869. Over the next year, two more officers' homes, another barracks, a permanent guardhouse, and stables were completed. Major Hatch pushed for more construction through 1870–71. In February 1872, however, budget cuts meant civilian workers were let go, slowing construction. By the end of 1872, Fort Concho had four barracks, eight officers' homes, the hospital, a magazine (for gunpowder), a bakery, several storehouses, workshops, and stables.
In 1875, the parade ground was cleared, and a flagstaff was placed in the center. A new stone headquarters building was built in 1876. Another officers' home was built in 1877. The last permanent building, a schoolhouse and chapel, was finished in February 1879. By 1879, the fort was large enough for eight companies of soldiers. By 1889, there were 39 permanent buildings at the fort.
The 4th Cavalry at Fort Concho
In its first seven months, Fort Concho's soldiers mostly worked on building the fort. Local newspapers criticized the slow progress. The soldiers also patrolled, scouted, and escorted cattle herds and wagon trains. There was little combat in Texas during the late 1860s. This inaction continued into 1871. However, when the Department of Texas was created in March 1871, US Army activity changed. General Sheridan began a strategy of constant movement and winter expeditions. Forts like Fort Concho set up smaller outposts.
On February 25, 1871, Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie took command of the 4th Cavalry. He moved his headquarters, but some companies stayed at Fort Concho. These companies took part in a campaign against the Kiowa from May to September 1871. Comanche and Kiowa raids became more frequent in late 1871, leading to more expeditions. A notable patrol by Sergeant William Wilson in March 1872 led to the discovery of water in the Staked Plains and a large Comanche settlement.
After meetings with commanders, Mackenzie and Captain Napoleon B. McLaughlen led their companies out on June 17. Over the next months, the 4th Cavalry explored the South Plains and fought the Comanche at the Battle of the North Fork of the Red River on September 29. After this battle, the 4th Cavalry captured 124 women and children. They were brought back to Fort Concho on October 21 and stayed there until April 14, 1873, when they were released.
On June 27, 1874, over 200 Native American warriors attacked buffalo hunters at Adobe Walls, starting the Red River War. In response, Mackenzie and the 4th Cavalry returned to Fort Concho in July. By August, General Sheridan ordered five large forces into the South Plains. Mackenzie's force left Fort Concho on August 23, 1874. Over the next year, Mackenzie chased the Comanche to their base in the Palo Duro Canyon and destroyed it on September 28. His soldiers continued to patrol, preventing the Comanche from getting supplies and forcing them back to their reservation.
The 10th Cavalry at Fort Concho
By 1875, Fort Concho was a major US Army base in Texas. In early 1875, the 4th Cavalry moved to Fort Sill. They were replaced at Fort Concho by the 10th Cavalry, an all-black regiment led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson. He arrived at Fort Concho on April 17, 1875, and set up the regiment's headquarters there. The 10th Cavalry was responsible for patrolling the frontier, escorting wagons and settlers, and going on expeditions.
In late 1879, Grierson learned that a group of Apache warriors led by Chief Victorio had entered the Trans-Pecos area. Grierson left Fort Concho on March 23, 1880, with five companies of the 10th Cavalry. His soldiers fought with Apache raiders in early April. Grierson returned to Fort Concho on May 16, but left one company of the 10th Cavalry nearby in case the Apache appeared.
On June 17, 1880, a battalion of the 10th Cavalry returned to Fort Concho. Ten days later, Grierson sent Captain Nolan to patrol the Guadalupe Mountains. Grierson himself left Fort Concho on July 10. Grierson pursued Victorio throughout the summer. Victorio was eventually defeated and driven into Mexico, where his group was destroyed by the Mexican Army on October 15, 1880. The 10th Cavalry moved permanently to Fort Davis in July 1882.
Fort Concho's Final Years
On January 27, 1881, the Texas Rangers fought and defeated what was left of Victorio's group. This was the last battle of the American Indian Wars fought in Texas. The 10th Cavalry was replaced at Fort Concho in 1882 by the 16th Infantry. Ten days before the new soldiers arrived, the Concho River flooded, destroying the town of Ben Ficklin and damaging San Angelo. The 16th Infantry spent its first week helping the flood victims.
After recovering, San Angelo began to grow, but Fort Concho started to decline due to poor upkeep. From 1882 until the fort's closure, it mainly served as a base for soldiers waiting to be moved elsewhere in Texas. By the mid-1880s, ranches surrounded the plains with barbed-wire fences. Soldiers could not cut the wire, so they were limited to patrolling roads. Many frontier forts were being abandoned. After the 16th Infantry left Fort Concho in February 1887, locals believed Fort Concho would also close. On June 20, 1889, the last soldiers lowered the flag over the fort for the final time and left the next morning.
Fort Concho and San Angelo
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In 1870, a businessman named Bartholomew J. DeWitt bought land across the Concho River from Fort Concho. He divided the land into plots to build a town, which became San Angelo. At first, the town struggled, and land was sold cheaply. By 1875, relations between San Angelo and the fort's soldiers were often difficult. Fights between the fort's black soldiers and townspeople were common until the 10th Cavalry was replaced in 1882. However, the soldiers' help to locals, especially after the 1882 flood, eventually improved relations.
Fort Concho was very important for San Angelo's early growth. The soldiers at the fort attracted traders and settlers, helping the town's economy grow. The fort's chaplains were some of the first preachers and teachers in town. The medical staff, especially surgeon William Notson, also treated civilians. One of Notson's assistants, Samuel L. S. Smith, became San Angelo's first doctor and helped create its first civilian hospital in 1910. The merchants who supplied the fort later settled in San Angelo and helped build the city.
Saving Fort Concho
After the fort closed in 1889, it was divided into business and residential areas. Its buildings were either changed or torn down. Some barracks were replaced with homes, while the officers' homes became private residences. New buildings, including a school, were built on the parade ground. However, as early as 1905, local leaders tried to save the fort. J. L. Millspaugh, a merchant who supplied the fort, suggested the city buy it. The Santa Fe Railroad Company gave the eastern part of the fort grounds to the city in 1913. Eleven years later, the Daughters of the American Revolution raised money to preserve the fort and helped it become a Texas state historic site.
In 1927, a local woman named Ginevra Wood Carson started an exhibit on local history in the Tom Green County Courthouse. This became the Fort Concho Museum. As the museum grew, Carson moved it into Fort Concho's headquarters building on August 8, 1930. Carson worked hard to buy the building. In 1935, the owner accepted the money she had raised. That same year, the city of San Angelo began helping to manage the museum. Funding for the museum was cut during the Great Depression and World War II, but four buildings were acquired in 1939. More buildings were bought in the late 1940s. The museum became a city department in 1955. By this time, the Fort Concho Museum controlled about a quarter of the fort grounds. In the 1960s, the city tried to give the museum to the state or federal governments, but they were focused on other Texas forts.
On July 4, 1961, Fort Concho was named a National Historic Landmark District. On October 15, 1966, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service (NPS). The museum began a plan in 1981 to buy the rest of the fort's land and remove newer buildings. They raised over $900,000 for this. The parade ground then came fully under the museum's control. An NPS survey in June 1985 found the fort was in good condition. On January 1, 1986, it was named a Texas State Antiquities Landmark. By 1989, the district had 16 original buildings, six rebuilt buildings, and one stabilized ruin.
In 2015, an anonymous donor gave $2,000,000 to the Fort Concho Museum. Two years later, the museum announced plans to use this money to expand its visitors center and rebuild Barracks 3 and 4. In December 2020, the City of San Angelo announced repairs to 14 buildings. The rebuilt Barracks 3 and the mess hall of Barracks 4 would house a research library. A permit for rebuilding Barracks 3 and 4 was issued in September 2021.
Fort Concho's Layout and Buildings
As of August 2019, the Fort Concho Historic District has 25 buildings on a 40-acre (16 ha) site. The museum has a collection of 40,000 items. The fort is visited by 55,000 people each year.
Fort Concho, like other US Army forts in Texas, was not a heavily fortified castle. It was designed as a cantonment, a place where troops could rest and recover after being on campaigns. Its buildings are arranged around a large parade ground, which is about 1,000 ft (300 m) long and 500 ft (150 m) wide. This parade ground was the center of activity. The buildings combine Neoclassical and Territorial designs. The only decorations are stone lintels above each window. Each building is made of limestone on a low stone foundation, usually with a wooden veranda (porch) and wood-shingled gabled roofs. A low stone wall surrounded the fort to keep buffalo out. The building materials came from outside the fort; stone and mortar from Ben Ficklin, and wood from the Gulf Coast.
Barracks Row
Barracks Row includes six enlisted men's barracks along the north side of the parade ground. These barracks are rectangular, one-story dormitories. Each has a kitchen and mess hall (dining room) attached to its north side. They have hipped roofs with a windcatcher and a chimney. A veranda wraps around each barracks, but not the mess halls. North of the barracks are the stables, built like the rest of the fort but with flat roofs.
Barracks 1 and 2 were built in 1869 and 1870. Each housed two cavalry companies. These barracks are special because they have sally ports (openings) in their centers. These allowed horses to be led through the barracks to reach the stables, instead of going around. Barracks 1 had two dining halls, but they were torn down after the fort closed. Barracks 1 is now the visitor's center, and Barracks 2 is a display area for wagons and replica artillery. The Fort Concho Museum acquired Barracks 1 and 2 in 1981.
The other four barracks buildings were for infantry soldiers. Barracks 5 and 6 were built in 1871 and remodeled in the 1920s for a US National Guard unit. These buildings were mostly ruins by 1947 when the Fort Concho Museum bought them. Barracks 5 and 6 were rebuilt in 1951 and are now used for living history events. Barracks 3 and 4 were similar to Barracks 5 and 6 but were torn down after the fort closed. Only their ruins remain.
Administrative Buildings
The commissary and quartermaster's warehouse, built in 1868 and 1869, are the oldest buildings in San Angelo. The city bought the commissary in 1939. It was restored in 1980 and is now used for meetings. The quartermaster's warehouse opened in 1985 as an art museum.
The headquarters building was built in 1876. It is U-shaped, opening to the east, with chimneys in the main structure and wings. A veranda is attached to the front and back. The headquarters building was used in different ways after the US Army left. Four rooms on the ground floor—the court martial room, orderly's room, adjutant's office, and regimental headquarters—have been restored to look as they did when the fort was active. Behind the headquarters building is the former home of Oscar Ruffini, San Angelo's first civic architect. This house was moved to its current spot in 1951.
The original hospital was built from 1868 to 1870. After the fort closed, it was used as a rooming house and for storage until it burned down in 1911. The building was rebuilt in the mid-1980s using old records. The hospital now has a museum about frontier medicine, a library, and general medical exhibits.
Officers' Row
Officers' Row consists of ten buildings on the south side of the parade ground. These are Officer's Quarters 1 through 9, and the schoolhouse and chapel. These homes were built in stages from 1869 to the mid-1870s. They usually have an L-shaped design with a main house and a kitchen, connected by a veranda. Inside, the first floor had four equal-sized rooms and a central hallway, with two more rooms on a second floor. The houses have three fireplaces.
Officer's Quarters 1 was built from 1870 to 1872 and was the commanding officer's home. Colonel Grierson, who lived there from 1875 to 1882, added a kitchen and office in 1881. He also added a carriage house and locks on all doors. The Fort Concho Museum bought the building in 1964. In 1994, it was renovated and became the Concho Valley Pioneer Heritage Center. Officer's Quarters 8 and 9 were built like Officer's Quarters 1 and finished in 1872. Officer's Quarters 8 had another room added in 1936. Officer's Quarters 9 was restored to its original look in 1905.
Officer's Quarters 2, 4, 5, and 6 were all built in 1870 and follow the general design. Their roofs extend over the verandas. Officer's Quarters 2 was bought by the Fort Concho Museum in 1952. Officer's Quarters 5 is a ruin, with only its foundations remaining. Officer's Quarters 6 was damaged by fire in 1961 but was repaired and turned into a living history exhibit.
Officer's Quarters 3 was built in 1870 and was the fort commander's home until Officer's Quarters 1 and 2 were finished. This house has five rooms and no second floor. The two buildings making up Officer's Quarters 7 were built from 1870 to 1877 for field officers and their families. They are a duplex (two homes joined together) and have two fireplaces each. A porch connects the two buildings. In 1990, the E. H. Danner Museum of Telephony, part of the West Texas Collection of Angelo State University, opened in the building.
The schoolhouse and chapel was finished on February 22, 1879. It was the last permanent building completed during the fort's military time. It was first meant to be another duplex. However, there wasn't enough money to finish the kitchen foundation, so it was completed as the schoolhouse and chapel. After the US Army left, the building continued as a schoolhouse and was also a private home at one point. The Fort Concho Museum bought the schoolhouse in 1946 and restored it with money raised by US military personnel from nearby Goodfellow Air Force Base.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Tom Green County, Texas
- Texas Forts Trail
