Near Brackettville in Kinney County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
New Cavalry Barracks
Photographed By William F Haenn, May 1, 2012
1. New Cavalry Barracks Marker
Inscription.
New Cavalry Barracks. . The earliest quarters for soldiers at Fort Clark were tents along Las Moras creek near the spring. During the fort’s 1870s building boom, three cavalry barracks were constructed, but by the late 1920s they had become too deteriorated for continued use. Three two-story stone cavalry barracks were constructed 1931-1932 to replace the three barracks that were razed. This new, fourth barracks was constructed on the site of the first post commissary which had burned in March 1892, leaving the site vacant for forty years. When the building was completed it contained state of the art facilities, including three 30 by 65 foot open bays for bunks and wall lockers, a mess hall, troop offices, supply and arms rooms and a latrine. The building was so modern and impressive that it was singled out in order to justify the retention of Fort Clark as a permanent military post.
The first occupants of the barracks were the soldiers of “F” Troop, 5th U.S. Cavalry. In 1941 the 5th Cavalry left the post and the barracks were used by the 112th Cavalry of the Texas National Guard. The Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry, African American troops, moved into the barracks in fall 1942. Lastly, for the remainder of World War II, the barracks were occupied by 182 African American enlisted women of the Woman’s Army Corps Detachment of the 1855th Service Unit.
The two-story rectangular plan barracks is built atop a raised concrete basement. Load-bearing walls are of limestone webwall construction, with cast stone window sills and steel lintels. The main elevation is divided into fifteen bays by square wooden columns, with a cross-braced railing along the second-story porch.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2009
The earliest quarters for soldiers at Fort Clark were tents along Las Moras creek near the spring. During the fort’s 1870s building boom, three cavalry barracks were constructed, but by the late 1920s they had become too deteriorated for continued use. Three two-story stone cavalry barracks were constructed 1931-1932 to replace the three barracks that were razed. This new, fourth barracks was constructed on the site of the first post commissary which had burned in March 1892, leaving the site vacant for forty years. When the building was completed it contained state of the art facilities, including three 30 by 65 foot open bays for bunks and wall lockers, a mess hall, troop offices, supply and arms rooms and a latrine. The building was so modern and impressive that it was singled out in order to justify the retention of Fort Clark as a permanent military post.
The first occupants of the barracks were the soldiers of “F” Troop, 5th U.S. Cavalry. In 1941 the 5th Cavalry left the post and the barracks were used by the 112th Cavalry of the Texas National Guard. The Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry, African American troops, moved into the barracks in fall 1942. Lastly, for the remainder of World War II, the barracks were occupied by 182 African American enlisted women of the Woman’s Army Corps Detachment of the 1855th
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Service Unit.
The two-story rectangular plan barracks is built atop a raised concrete basement. Load-bearing walls are of limestone webwall construction, with cast stone window sills and steel lintels. The main elevation is divided into fifteen bays by square wooden columns, with a cross-braced railing along the second-story porch.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2009
Erected 2009 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15811.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Buffalo Soldiers series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1892.
Location. 29° 18.334′ N, 100° 25.146′ W. Marker is near Brackettville, Texas, in Kinney County. Marker is at the intersection of McClernand Road and Baylor Street, on the right when traveling west on McClernand Road. Marker is located on Fort Clark Springs in the Fort Clark National Register Historic District and is accessible to the public. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 123 McClernand Road, Brackettville TX 78832, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regarding New Cavalry Barracks. The New Cavalry Barracks on Fort Clark is a classic and enduring example of army architecture from the late 1930’s with perhaps a one of a kind design to suit the specific location of the building. Today, although the building is not in use, it is being sensibly maintained by the Fort Clark Springs Association until an appropriate adaptive reuse of the building can be undertaken. Of the four two story cavalry barracks remaining in the Fort Clark Historic District two have experienced irreversible unsympathetic modifications to create motel units and a third is not in a good state of repair. Only this barracks, “Seminole Hall,” stands alone as essentially unaltered and a stellar model of responsible preservation.
The New Cavalry Barracks is the finest example of 20th century
Photographed By Warren Studios, Del Rio, TX, circa 1932
3. Historic view of the New Cavalry Barracks shortly after completion
soldier housing in the Fort Clark Historic District. This building may well be one of only a handful of pre-World War II stone barracks left on any army post in the nation and perhaps the sole remaining example of this type of military architecture in Texas.
Photographed By Fort Clark Public Affairs Office, circa 1943
4. World War II view of Fort Clark's New Cavalry Barracks
2nd Cavalry Division guard mount, 1943. WAC Detachment of the 1855th Service Unit stands at parade rest on the porch of their barracks as the 2nd Cavalry Division drum & bugle corps passes in front of the Officer of the Guard and his platoon.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 11, 2018. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. This page has been viewed 896 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 3, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
