LOCAL HISTORY
Among the fall observances here in San Angelo is the birthday of the museum that has grown into Fort Concho National Historic Landmark.
While this year marks 95 years since the West Texas Museum officially moved into residence at what was commonly known as “The Post,” Fort Concho was never far from the hearts of local folks.
The local papers regularly made mention of “old timers” who served at Fort Concho if they were visiting town, or had passed away, and show how Fort Concho was also a living history museum from way back.
According to a local news report from 1911:
Many relics of war time days are on exhibition at the camp grounds.
The sight of the many old guns, pistols, swords, shells, etc. move some of the old veterans to tears as they recall many of the stirring events during the struggle.
The veterans spend much time around the collection, explaining them to the younger generation.
Each relic on display has a history attached to it. But the history of an old combination bayonet-saber, which was picked up in the ruins of the San Saba mission, is unknown.
This weapon is about two-feet long, and its handle is of brass. It is thought that it was used by the Spaniards years ago, as at no time in the history of the United States was a similar bayonet used in the Army.
In the collection are two old army pistols, one a “Navy Six” and the other a “Remington Cap and Ball.”
They are in the possession of Mrs. F.M. Clay, and were used by her husband, Marion Clay, in the civil war. Mr. Clay captured one of the weapons from an officer at Mt. Ida, Arkansas. He served during the war as General Bee’s escort.
Another interesting relic is a percussion shell that was fired from a federal battery at the battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, December 7, 1863. A fragment of a shell fired from a federal mortar at Shiloh is also being shown.
Two of the old-time bayonets, which were used by a regiment in Lee’s army at Gettysburg and were the most modern at that time, are being shown also. These guns were the most effective used during the war.
John Warren Hunter is exhibiting a “Concho Pearl.” This is a chain and ball used at Fort Concho in the early frontier days on prisoners.
Local Museum History
Efforts to preserve Fort Concho’s history began soon after it was officially abandoned.
According to a history of preservation efforts in the 1967 Master Plan, after the land around Fort Concho was consolidated by C.A. Broome in 1905 for real-estate development purposes, former Post Trader J.L. Millspaugh tried to persuade the city to purchase the fort as a park site.
Progress was made in 1913, when the eastern third of the Parade Ground and some other properties were donated to the city.
A decade later, the Pocahontas Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution initiated a campaign to designate Fort Concho as a state historic site.
That status was achieved, and a bronze marker was placed on the Parade Ground in 1924.
According to local history, in 1928, Mrs. Genevra Wood Carson, (known to newspaper history as Mrs. W.W. Carson), successfully petitioned Tom Green County Judge J.T. Mathison for a room devoted to local history in the new courthouse.
This was known as the West Texas Museum.
According to a report published on the museum’s 13th anniversary, Sept. 17, 1941, the original third-floor room opened with a copy of The San Angelo Standard newspaper’s 40th anniversary edition as its only exhibit.
That issue, published in early May of 1924, featured many first-hand remembrances from local pioneers talking about the earliest days of settlement in this area.
A Museum Begins to Take Shape
According to historical accounts, it wasn’t long, before pioneer families in the area, along with collectors of historical items, began presenting Mrs. Carson with more artifacts that soon filled the room.
County officials were excited about the success of Mrs. Carson’s idea, and allowed the collection to spill into an adjacent room, and finally overflow that too, taking up all of the temporary storage space for the new district courtroom.
Being the enterprising woman she was, Carson began making plans to relocate the museum.
Of note: Mrs. Carson was voted president of the “Save the Fort” effort in 1928.
The Woman Behind the Effort
According to her biography, Genevra Wood was born near San Saba in 1872, and she was tapped to teach at the school she attended when she was 14 years old.
When her family moved to the newly created Irion County a little while later, she met and eventually married into one of the original pioneer families of that area.
Sometime in the 1920s, she became associated with San Angelo Business College, eventually taking the helm of that school , along with the ownership. She also served as a trustee of Randolph Christian College in Cisco, and was regularly featured among the leading professional women of West Texas.
Mrs. Carson was always a champion of education; according to an article with several remembrances of her published in 1979:
“Mrs. W.W. Carson became something of a high priestess for the minorities, standing on the streets and bidding young Mexicans to come to school. She appealed to Felix Smith, then public schools superintendent, and the school board for better or equal facilities.
“That was done.”
1930: The Big Move
“Plans for securing the adjutant’s building at old Fort Concho as the home of the West Texas Museum have been definitely completed, and action within the next two weeks on payment arrangements is expected by the museum board.
“The property deed has been executed and is being held by R. W. Brown pending the payment of $2,000 in cash and $2,000 more in notes over a period of eight years.
The article notes broad support for the museum to be dedicated to the pioneer cattlemen who represented the first industry hereabouts.
According to the 1941 report about the fort:
“The present location was obtained from donations of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, R. Wilbur Brown, Sr., and other local individuals and organizations.
“After seven years of existence the county took title to the property and a Museum Board was appointed, consisting of R. Wilbur Brown, Sr.; Standard-Times Editor Dean Chenowith; Louis Hall, D.J. Burk; Mr. and Mrs. D.C. Chamberlin; Jack Spratt; Mrs. Ruby Yates; Mrs. Cassie Word and Mrs. W.W. Carson, who was elected president.
“Title was then transferred to the city…”
That article noted that the museum had added to its collections considerably since 1930, and listed ongoing projects such as building a rock wall on the east side of the museum, and getting money to put signs up on the highways, and in town, directing visitors to Fort Concho.
Of course the site looked very different in 1930, with one of San Angelo’s four ward schools situated right there on the Parade Grounds, and a few business operating out by Oakes Street.
The Next Half Century
A good deal of significant work was undertaken in the half-century between the museum’s opening and the 1980 publication of the Fort Concho Master Plan that gave birth to the modern site as it appears today.
According to Fort Director John Vaughn writing in the Fall 1980 Master Plan Edition of “The Fort Concho Report: “Over 45 years of determined effort has placed Fort Concho in an enviable position: it has entered a period of accelerated development which will result in restoration of the entire site, and solutions to long-standing building use problems.”
Between 1980 and today, the remarkable cooperation between the City of San Angelo, the Fort Concho staff and Museum Board and the local people helped bring this living history vision to reality.
A major driver that has aided the development is the annual “Christmas at Old Fort Concho” celebration, which is slated for this weekend.
