Post Headquarters

The Post Headquarters building was constructed in 1876 at the request of Colonel Benjamin Grierson, 10^th U. S. Cavalry.  Once completed, the daily business of running Fort Concho was conducted from this building.  Prior to the completion of this structure, the only administrative building was a wooden adjutant’s office that sat on the parade ground near the end of Officers’ Row.  The building housed the new adjutant’s office, post clerk and orderly room, court-martial room, regimental headquarters room, office of the commanding officer, post library, and four attic rooms for offices and occasional living quarters.  For three years, 1878-1881, Fort Concho was the headquarters of the Military District of the Pecos, which included Forts Concho, Davis, and Stockton, as well as numerous military sub-posts.  Business concerning the district as well as the usual post affairs was conducted here.

By 1889, however, fort business was coming to an end. The Post Headquarters, with the rest of the fort’s buildings, reverted to civilian ownership.  Activity around the fort thus changed.  Over the next three decades the structure would be used for a variety of purposes, including a rooming house in the early 1900s.

In 1928, Mrs. Ginerva Wood Carson started the West Texas Museum in the old county courthouse.  Quickly outgrowing her location, she set her sights on the old Fort Concho Headquarters.  By 1929, she had raised the necessary money and acquired the Headquarters building to house her museum.  In 1930 it was renamed the Fort Concho Museum, beginning a decades-long movement to acquire and restore all the original fort buildings and land.

Commissary and Quartermaster Storehouses

The Commissary Storehouse was one of the first fort structures built. Work began in January of 1868. The Commissary stands just north of the Quartermaster's Storehouse. Both storehouses are approximately the same size and along with the Forage House completed a row of service/bulk storage facilities. The Commissary was originally used as storage for all food goods.

The Commissary continued to serve as a storage facility after the fort's abandonment. It even served as the city vehicle maintenance building from the late 1930s to the late 1970s. It has been restored to its original state and is now used for gatherings, special events, and meetings.

The second structure built at Fort Concho, the Quartermaster Storehouse, was completed in 1868. Storage for all quartermaster goods, it served as the issuing point for uniforms and various supplies for the post.

By 1920 the Quartermaster building had lost its roof. In the the early 1940s it was used as a warehouse by the Santa Rita Wool Company. Later groups would use it for the same purposes. The Fort Museum acquired the property in 1976 and began restoration in 1981, as the first home of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Today the building is used for art exhibits, seminars, and work shops.

Medal Of Honor Memorial

The highest United States military decoration, the Medal of Honor, is awarded in the name of Congress for achievements above and beyond the call of duty.  Although not representing the actual burials, these “IN MEMORY OF” headstones pay homage to five Medal of Honor recipients who served at Fort Concho.  At the time of the dedication in May 1992, their burial sites were unknown and special permission was given to place these headstones at the fort where all five served.  Each soldier served here prior to, or after the action for which they earned this distinction.