"Officer's Row" -- Fort Stockton, TX
N 30° 53.312 W 102° 52.564
13R E 703020 N 3419180
This sign, located on the historic Fort Stockton driving tour, discusses the nearby Officer's Row at the old Fort at Fort Stockton
Waymark Code: WMTXC3
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/18/2017
Views: 1
This sign of history is located in the parking lot along East 5th Street at N Williams Street at the edge of the old Fort parade grounds in Fort Stockton.
Please be aware that Officer Quarters number 5 is a private home, while officers quarters numbers 6 and 7 are part of the Fort Museum . The boundary between the private home and the Fort property is marked with local stone boulders.
The sign reads as follows:
'OFFICERS ROW
Eight officer's quarters were built on the west side of the parade ground, one of which burned in an evening fire in 1872. The quarters housed married officers and their families, as well as bachelor officers and married officers who were serving on the frontier "solo." It was unusual for an officer to occupy one entire building, and all officers were subject to being "turned out" at any time. This was a practice whereby if an officer arrived at the Fort who outranked the resident of the quarters, the new arrival had the option of claiming the lower ranked officers quarters. The only available recourse was to complain to the Commanding Officer; however, this was usually not done. Of the original eight, three remain, one of which is a private residence. This Indian Wars fort was the first headquarters of the 9th Cavalry and was garrisoned primarily by white officers and black soldiers, who were given the name, "Buffalo soldiers," by the Native Americans.
Group that erected the marker: Fort Stockton Historical Commission
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
N Williams St at E 5th St
Fort Stockton, TX
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Visit Instructions:
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