Fort Concho to Celebrate Completion of Reconstructed Barracks and Mess Halls

SAN ANGELO, TX — Fort Concho National Historic Landmark will hold a public celebration for the completion of its newly reconstructed Barracks and Mess Halls 3 and 4 on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Guests may park at 630 South Oakes Street, with a shuttle service available to the dedication site. In the event of poor weather, the ceremony will move inside Barracks 4.

The two new buildings will serve as the future home of the Fort Concho Library and Archives, including the Noelke Library. The project began with a donation from the Noelke-Wilhelm Fund, managed by the San Angelo Area Foundation, and was later supported by additional grants and private contributions, including the San Angelo Health Foundation, the Fort Concho Foundation, the Eva Camunez Tucker Foundation, and numerous individual donors through the San Angelo Gives program.

The reconstruction effort was inspired by a long-term loan of historical materials from the Noelke Foundation through Dr. Walter Noelke, a longtime Angelo State University history professor. Working with former Fort Concho Museum Board President Barbara Hesse, the project brought back two 1870s barracks and adjacent mess halls that had been lost since the early 1900s. Preservation architect Killis Almond of San Antonio designed the facilities, aiming to recreate them as close to their original appearance as possible.

Clearview Construction of San Angelo built the new buildings, marking the first time in nearly a century that all six fort barracks stand on their original sites. The San Angelo Area Foundation managed the project and provided ongoing support.

According to Site Manager Bob Bluthardt, the new facility will bring together a wealth of resources for the study of the community’s and region’s shared Western heritage. In addition to the Noelke Collection and the fort’s own library, the site now houses the study collections of Western and military scholars and writers such as Doug McChristian, Tom Phillips, Herb Hart, Tom Railsback and Gordon Chappell.

The fort has also relocated the archives and library of the San Angelo Standard-Times from its former location on West Harris Street.

For more information about the facility, contact Fort Concho at (325) 481-2646 or visit fortconcho.com.