Near Brackettville in Kinney County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
1873 Infantry Barracks
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 2010
Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16385.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Buffalo Soldiers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.
Location. 29° 18.275′ N, 100° 25.261′ W. Marker is near Brackettville, Texas, in Kinney County. Marker is on Fort Clark Road, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 367 Fort Clark Road, Brackettville TX 78832, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fort Clark Post Theater (within shouting distance of this marker); Palisado Building Kitchen / Mess Room (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Remolino Raid (about 500 feet away); Married Officers' Quarters 8-9 (about 600 feet away); Officers' Row Quarters (about 600 feet away); Fort Clark Guardhouse (about 700 feet away); Officers Quarters 2-3 and 4 (about 700 feet away); New Cavalry Barracks (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brackettville.
More about this marker. Marker is located on Fort Clark Springs in the Fort Clark National Register Historic District and is accessible to the public.
Regarding 1873 Infantry Barracks. Fort Clark’s only remaining essentially unaltered 1873 Infantry Barracks served as quarters for enlisted men of the fort’s garrison for over seventy years from 1873-1944. The building is recognized in the National Register narrative as a contributing structure to the Fort Clark Historic District. This distinctive building was home for generations of soldiers from the Indian Wars of the 19th century to World War II in the 20th century.
Not until 1870 did permanent quarters for soldiers exist on Fort Clark. Two single story infantry barracks were built of stone that year by the Buffalo Soldiers of the 25th Infantry. By 1873 the fort’s garrison had grown to regimental size requiring the largest construction effort in the fort’s existence … four single story infantry barracks and three two-story cavalry barracks, all of stone, were completed in 1873-74 by skilled civilian carpenters, masons, and quarryman employed by the Quartermaster Department.
This 1873 Infantry Barracks on Fort Clark is a classic and enduring example of utilitarian U.S. Army architecture from the late 19th century with a one of a kind design suited to the needs of the expanding post garrison in the early 1870s. Today, one hundred and thirty-six years later, the building continues to provide shelter and comfort as originally intended and is being responsibly maintained in a good state of repair by the current owners. Of the six single story stone infantry barracks in the Fort Clark Historic District all but one have experienced irreversible unsympathetic modifications. Only this barracks stands out as essentially unaltered and an exemplary model of preservation.
The 1873 Infantry Barracks is the finest example of 19th century soldier housing remaining intact in the Fort Clark Historic District. This building may well be one of only a handful of Indian Wars period single-story stone barracks left on any army post in the nation and perhaps the sole original example of this type of military architecture still standing in Texas.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. This page has been viewed 987 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on April 21, 2015, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. Photos: 1. submitted on May 2, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. 2. submitted on April 21, 2015, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 2, 2012, by William F Haenn of Fort Clark (Brackettville), Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.