Fort Concho Fort Concho is a National Historic Landmark owned and operated since 1935 by the city of San Angelo , the seat of Tom Green County in West Texas . Situated on the North Concho River , near its confluence with the South and Middle Concho rivers , the site selected for Fort Concho was strategic to the stabilization of the region , because of the location of no fewer than five major trails in the vicinity . Even though the fort was surrounded by miles of flat treeless prairie , it was considered to be “ one of the most beautiful and best ordered posts in Texas . " Other forts in the frontier fort system were Forts Griffin , Richardson , Belknap , Chadbourne , Fort Stockton , Fort Davis , Fort Bliss , McKavett , Clark , Fort McIntosh , Fort Inge and Phantom Hill in Texas , and Fort Sill in Oklahoma . There were " sub posts or intermediate stations " including Bothwick ' s Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap , Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station , and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin . The earlier Fort Chadbourne . Concho was established as a United States Army post in 1867 and named for the nearby Concho River . It replaced the earlier Fort Chadbourne in Bronte in Coke County north of San Angelo . Chadbourne was established in 1852 by elements of the 8th Infantry and named for Second Lieutenant Theodore Lincoln Chadbourne , who was killed in the Battle of Resaca de la Palma in the Mexican War . The post experienced a chronic water shortage , and was abandoned in 1867 . Troops transferred to Fort Concho , but the military maintained a presence at Chadbourne until 1873 . The Chadbourne ruins are open to the public , but no artifact s may be taken . The fort is a popular site for school field trips . The Fort Chadbourne Cemetery contains numerous poignant old markers . The oldest tombstone dates to 1877 . Building the fort . During its 22 - year existence as an active Army fort , Concho mainly served to protect frontier settlers , stagecoach es , wagon trains and the United States mail , and maintain trade routes . Several successful campaigns against the Comanches were launched from Fort Concho . In addition , the post played a pivotal role in the suppression of illegal profiteering between the Mexican and American traders known as Comanchero s . The initial site for Concho was abandoned after the expenditure of $ 28 , 000 to prepare the land for future construction . Pecan wood was first considered as the building material , but it was found to have been too hard and unmanageable . Adobe bricks were then used , but the soldiers lacked experience with that material . Soon their work was melted away by heavy rains . Finally , sandstone from nearby quarries was used to build Concho , but there were no stonemasons available . Therefore , private German contractors were recruited from Fredericksburg , the seat of Gillespie County in the Texas Hill Country to the south . The masons anchored the sandstone with pecan wood beams and rafters . Construction continued for the entire existence of the fort , and it was deactivated before it was ever actually completed . It consisted of forty buildings on . Commanding officers . Among the infantry and cavalry officers who commanded Fort Concho were Colonel s Ranald Slidell Mackenzie of New York , William R . Shafter of Michigan , Benjamin H . Grierson of Illinois , John Porter Hatch of New York , and Wesley Merritt . Under Grierson , there were African American troops at the fort as well , which became known as the headquarters of the Buffalo soldiers , the black troops of the 10th Cavalry . One of the buffalo soldiers , George B . Jackson , later became a businessman , rancher , and politician in San Angelo . Mackenzie was the dominant figure in the history of Fort Concho . It was long said that he continued to exert his command from beyond the grave . Numerous ghost stories have been told about Concho . In September 1872 , Mackenzie and his troopers , called " Mackenzie ' s Raiders " , surprised the Comanches and successfully attacked a large encampment . Twenty - three Indians were killed , and another 127 women and children were taken captive . The captives were marched to Fort Concho , where they were imprisoned through the winter in the stone corral . The following spring , the women and children were allowed to rejoin their families at the Indian reservation near Fort Sill , Oklahoma . On the morning of September 27 , 1874 , Mackenzie and his troops were again thrust into battle with the Indians . Mackenzie came upon hundreds of teepee s in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle , considerably to the north of Fort Concho . Mackenzie immediately ordered his troopers to attack . There was little early warning , and the Indians were routed and their village destroyed . Mackenzie ' s men slaughtered more than a thousand horses and livestock to keep the Indians from reclaiming them . Colonel Grierson commanded the 10th Cavalry , and " Fort Concho served as regimental headquarters for the Tenth United States Cavalry , known as the Buffalo Soldiers , from 1875 until 1882 . " Grierson , regimental commander of the 10th Cavalry , faced a personal tragedy at Fort Concho when his daughter Edith , about twelve years of age , died in the upstairs bedroom of one of the houses at the fort . The child was particularly fond of playing jacks . Deactivation of the fort . By the late 19th century , the railroad arrived in West Texas , and the military protection became less necessary . In a nostalgic ceremony on June 20 , 1889 , a small remaining company of the 19th Infantry took down the American flag at evening retreat . The party left the next morning for San Antonio . The of land occupied by Fort Concho became privately owned , but increasing interest in the preservation of the fort in the early 20th century led to donations of part of the property to the city , and subsequent purchases of the other portions . It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 . The landmark today includes most of the original fort and twenty - three main structures , mostly original or restored , but some reconstructions . These structures include a Headquarters , Officers ' Quarters , Soldiers ' Barracks , and the Post Hospital . There are regular and changing exhibits in the fields of military history , the heritage of San Angelo and West Texas in general , and the daily life of a soldier and an officer . The main attraction for fort visitors today is the Fort Concho Museum , with its collection of more than 35 , 000 artifacts . Museums . Fort Concho is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a . m . to 5 p . m . , and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p . m . It is located at 630 South Oakes Street , between Avenues C and D . There is an admission charge . Pets on leashes are allowed on the premises . An annual festival " Christmas at Old Fort Concho " is held the first weekend of December . Fort Concho is not air - conditioned , except for the museums . The fort features 23 original and restored buildings , including cavalry and infantry barracks , post hospital , schoolhouse / chapel , guardhouse , powder magazine , stables , commissary , quartermaster , headquarters , post NCO and surgeons ' quarters , officers ' quarters and the stable . Fort Concho Museum . There are historic exhibits and period rooms in many of the restored buildings . The visitors ' center is located in Barracks 1 , and includes free exhibits and a gift shop . Special living history reenactments are held during the year . E . H . Danner Museum of Telephony . The E . H . Danner Museum of Telephony contains interesting models of telephones from the 1880s to modern times . Exhibits include a model of Alexander Graham Bell ' s " Gallows Frame Phone " , of which only five were assembled , a manual switchboard , an 1898 hotel lobby telephone , the Independent Telephone Pioneers Association Hall of Fame , which features photos and biographies of former Verizon leaders , and career memorabilia of former GTE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rocky Johnson . The museum occupies the old Officers ' Quarters No . 4 . Robert Wood Johnson Museum of Frontier Medicine . The Robert Wood Johnson Museum of Frontier Medicine features typical instruments , medicines , surgical kits , and hospital furniture of the 19th century . Some of the items are related to the medical history of San Angelo . The museum is located in the post hospital building . Fort Concho Historical Trail . The Fort Concho Historical Trail showcases not only the fort , but also old buildings of the early community of San Angelo and other historical areas along the Concho River , which was named because of mussel shells in the water . Involvement with YFZ Ranch raid . Beginning April 7 , 2008 , the 416 children and 139 women removed from the YFZ Ranch , operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints polygamist sect , were transported to Fort Concho and the Wells Fargo Pavilion ( also in San Angelo ) , where they were housed until authorities decided what to do with them . Popular Culture . In the 1979 Disney comedy , the The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again , the characters played by Don Knotts and Tim Conway , arrive at Fort Concho after hitching a ride on a U . S . Army wagon to escape a crazed sheriff . They accidentally set fire to the fort , burning it completely to the ground . There is no mention of where this " Fort Concho " is located , and the desert canyon terrain does not match that of San Angelo , TX , where the real Fort Concho is located . However , since there was only one Fort Concho ever established by the U . S . Army , and the fort is so named due to its proximity with the Concho River ( which only resides in West Texas ) , it is assumed the film ' s producers meant to portray a loose copy of the real fort .