Main Post in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

At Home in the Nineteenth Century Army

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 2, 2021

1. At Home in the Nineteenth Century Army Marker

Inscription.

At Home in the Nineteenth Century Army. . "A comfortable Government steamboat plied between San Francisco and its harbor posts … So we had a taste of the social life of that fascinating city, and could enjoy the theaters also." , Martha Summerhayes, Vanished Arizona: Recollections of the Army Life of a New England Woman describing Angel Island's Fort McDowell in 1879, This house is one of twelve identical quarters built in 1862 as the Presidio's original Officers' Row. The Post Commander, Inspector General, Chief Quartermaster, chaplain and field grade officers lived here. Officially, only officers could marry in the nineteenth century Army and have their families on the post. Life here was typical of upper middle-class nineteenth century America: wives minded the children, kept house and cooked meals. Officers' families hired enlisted men as "strikers” , servants. Other servants were often Chinese men. Children attended a one-room school and were taught by the post chaplain. Officer husbands went to work each morning supervising the troops who guarded the harbor or fought in the Indian campaigns., Before indoor plumbing, each quarters had an outdoor privy. When running water was installed in 1882, bathrooms were added. Electric light came in 1912. An estimated 1,400 officers and their families occupied the quarters on both sides of Funston Avenue between 1863 and the Army's departure in 1994., Captions , Top: Officers Row in the 1880s with its white picket fence and children playing in Funston Avenue. Park Archives , Bottom row, left to right: , . Officers' children sitting on a carriage mounting block on Funston Avenue about 1900. U.S. Army Military History Institute , . The William Parker family at ease at the Presidio in 1887. Park Archives , . These 1862 Greek Revival houses have a T-shaped plan with a central hall cutting through the house and front and back porches. Stairs led from the hall to two bedrooms on the second floor and the attic. Over time, additions were built to the rear of the houses for bathrooms, kitchens, pantries and bedrooms. Vivian Young

"A comfortable Government steamboat plied between San Francisco and its harbor posts … So we had a taste of the social life of that fascinating city, and could enjoy the theaters also." — Martha Summerhayes, Vanished Arizona: Recollections of the Army Life of a New England Woman describing Angel Island's Fort McDowell in 1879

This house is one of twelve identical quarters built in 1862 as the Presidio's original Officers' Row. The Post Commander, Inspector General, Chief Quartermaster, chaplain and field grade officers lived here. Officially, only officers could marry in the nineteenth century Army and have their families on the post. Life here was typical of upper middle-class nineteenth century America: wives minded the children, kept house and cooked meals. Officers' families hired enlisted men as "strikers” — servants. Other servants were often Chinese men. Children attended a one-room school and were taught by the post chaplain. Officer husbands went to work each morning supervising the troops who guarded the harbor or fought in the Indian campaigns.

Before indoor plumbing, each quarters had an outdoor privy. When running water was installed in 1882, bathrooms were added. Electric light came in 1912. An estimated 1,400 officers and their families occupied the quarters on both sides of

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Funston Avenue between 1863 and the Army's departure in 1994.

Captions
Top: Officers Row in the 1880s with its white picket fence and children playing in Funston Avenue. Park Archives
Bottom row, left to right:
• Officers' children sitting on a carriage mounting block on Funston Avenue about 1900. U.S. Army Military History Institute
• The William Parker family at ease at the Presidio in 1887. Park Archives
• These 1862 Greek Revival houses have a T-shaped plan with a central hall cutting through the house and front and back porches. Stairs led from the hall to two bedrooms on the second floor and the attic. Over time, additions were built to the rear of the houses for bathrooms, kitchens, pantries and bedrooms. Vivian Young

Erected by National Park Service and The Presidio Trust.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 37° 47.837′ N, 122° 27.442′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Main Post. Marker is at the intersection of Funston Avenue and Moraga Avenue, on the left when traveling

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 2, 2021

2. At Home in the Nineteenth Century Army Marker

north on Funston Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16a Funston Avenue, San Francisco CA 94129, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bachelor Officers' Quarters: Pershing Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Post Chapel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Alameda (about 400 feet away); North West Corner of Original Presidio (about 600 feet away); Outpost of an Empire (about 600 feet away); Pershing Square (about 600 feet away); Sixth Army Headquarters (about 700 feet away); Ammunition Magazine (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 101 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 6, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.