Commodious Homes for the Troops: The Cavalry & Light Artillery Post Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Summary

The Cavalry and Light Artillery Post was the fourth construction program at Fort Sam Houston. Begun in 1905, this program made Fort Sam Houston the largest post in the Army at that time. This section of the post represents a coherent collection of military structures built according to standard designs prepared by the Quartermaster General.

This brief history of the Cavalry and Light Artillery Post traces the origin, development and current use of the buildings, facilities and real estate that comprise the Cavalry and Light Artillery Post. Our intention is to educate and inform soldiers and civilians about this portion of the Fort Sam Houston National Historic Landmark. We hope to increase the reader’s understanding of the significance of this area and of the need to preserve it for future generations of Americans.

In this study, the Cavalry and Light Artillery Post is defined as the area bounded by Wilson Street on the south, to a point just east of the Main Post Chapel, then northward to Stanley Road. It includes the westernmost end of Arthur MacArthur Field, then north along New Braunfels Avenue to Eleanor Avenue. From there, the boundary follows the Reservation Boundary first west, then south to Brackenridge Avenue, then continuing along the Reservation Boundary to Wilson Street. The original purchases of land were more extensive than this, but the land outside the area delineated above was used principally as a drill and maneuver ground with none of the 1905-1912 construction taking place there. The Cavalry and Light Artillery Post includes three major elements: the Cavalry and Light Artillery Post proper, the former Station Hospital and the Main Post Chapel.

All maps, building plans, sketches and photos are from the collections of the Fort Sam Houston Museum. Building numbers cited in the text are those in use in 2005.

This history is part of the Museum’s Historic Neighborhood Awareness Program. Other publications in this series include the Pocket Guides to Historic Fort Sam Houston, The Staff Post and The Infantry Post. Additional pocket guides are planned for the Quadrangle, the New Post, Camp Bullis and the several mobilization camps or building programs at Fort Sam Houston.

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Cultural Resource Office, Joint Base San Antonio

Contributor(s): Fort Sam Houston Museum

Repository(s): Fort Sam Houston

Prepared By(s): Historic Neighborhood Awareness Program, Fort Sam Houston Museum

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