The Fort McIntosh Historic District was created in 1975. The district is a triangular-shaped trapezoid containing the lands leased by the city of Laredo to the Federal Government in 1853 for the expansion of the old Spanish presidio that would become Fort McIntosh.
From the 1996 City of Laredo Historic Preservation Plan: (
visit link)
"2.5 Fort McIntosh
Originally known as Camp Crawford, a United States military fort was established in 1849 on the east bank of the Rio Grande just below the old Indian crossing called Paso de Los Indios.
One of a line of U.S. forts along the Rio Grande, the fort was renamed for Colonel James S. McIntosh, who perished in the Mexican War at the battle of Molino del Rey. The fort provided
protection from the Comanches and Lipan Apaches and escorted supplies and mail across the brush country.
Briefly abandoned during the Civil War, it was reoccupied later in 1865 by the 62nd Colored Infantry (known as the Buffalo soldiers), who remained at the fort unti1 1880. The fort expanded from 1875 to 1898 when several buildings were built to add to the hospital,
guardhouse, storehouse, and bakery. These included the addition of barracks, a new hospital, guardhouse, granary, boiler house, pump house. commissary storehouse, bath house, noncommissioned quarters, and officers quarters.
In March 1911, Fort McIntosh played a critical role in aviation history when a Wright brothers biplane made a test flight from Laredo to Fort Duncan at Eagle Pass.
The fort continued to operate until 1947, upon the development of Laredo Air Base (Williams & Landon, 1974; San Antonio Express article).
The original fort was a star-shaped earthen fort, measuring approximately 100 by 100 feet. A stone magazine with descending steps, arched roof overlaid with earth, and iron doors, was built
in the southeast part of the fort. During the 1930s, the WPA rebuilt the deteriorated earthen walls, restored the fort's buildings, and built a sandstone wall around the entire fort (Williams & Landon).
Historic structures on the fort include the post hospital built of brick in 1885 at the main entrance. Non-commissioned staff quarters, built in the 1890s, took the form of one-story frame
and brick houses on a rectangular or ell-shaped plan. The quartermaster's storehouse, constructed of large rubble stone with stuccoed walls. is probably the oldest remaining building at
the fort. Adjacent to the storehouse is the commissary, built in 1890.
To the south of these structures is a row of two and a half story stuccoed, brick and stone houses rich in Victorian detail
which served as officers' quarters. South of the officers' quarters was the parade ground, where one barracks building for enlisted men remains, constructed in 1880. To the east of the parade ground is the post chapel, guard house, bakery, stables, carriage house, and Commander's House.
In 1975, Fort McIntosh was designated a National Register Historic District and a National Archaeological landmark (Williams & Landon)."