Infantry Company Quarters - Fort Sill, Oklahoma - Oklahoma Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Infantry Company Quarters

The structures on the east and west ends of the south line of buildings were originally constructed as warehouses by troops of the 10th Cavalry and 6th Infantry from 1872 to 1875. In 1876, the buildings were briefly occupied by troops of the First Artillery Regiment serving as garrison troops while the 6th Cavalry troops were sent north to take part in the Sioux Campaign.

In 1876 the buildings were converted to infantry barracks and served as such until 1890. Each building housed one company of infantry consisting of one hundred men. Bunks lined both north and south walls, and the soldiers’ clothing and equipment were stored in footlockers and on shelves immediately behind the bunks. Racks in the center aisle stored the rifles of the company.

This building was converted to house the Post Canteen, the Officers Club, and the Post Library in 1890. After the turn of the century, the Apache Prisoners-of-War occupied the east end, remaining until the Apaches left in 1913. The building then housed various offices and classrooms for the School of Fire, the School of Musketry and the Constructing Quartermaster. The building also served as the Post Childrens School from 1919 to 1947.

The buildings were originally designed with doors and windows on opposing sides of the building, allowing cross ventilation. Cupolas on the roof allowed hot air to escape in the summer. Heat was provided by woodburning stoves, which were converted to burn coal with the arrival of the railroad in 1891.

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