General Custer House, Fort Riley

One of the original sets of officer's quarters from the mid-1850s, the Custer House represents the early history of Fort Riley and includes tours that share the history of the fort along with artifacts that demonstrate the history of military life on the western frontier from the 1850s to the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. The home was originally believed to have been used by Custer and his family when he was stationed here in 1866, which is why it was preserved and utilized as a museum space. Later research demonstrated that the family lived in a nearby unit. The home continues to serve as an interpretive site that is open to the public with furniture from the 1870s and 1880s and information about the military history of the region and era. When the fort was first built in the middle of the 1850s, this home was one of the earliest sets of officer's quarters. A front parlor, dining room, kitchen, servant's room, family room, and upstairs bedrooms are examples of period rooms.

Due to its closeness to the geographic center of the United States, Fort Riley was known as Camp Center when it was founded in 1852. The fort was placed near the confluence of the Republican and Smoky Hill rivers, which come together to form the Kansas River. The new base's two main objectives—supplying farther-flung western outposts with supplies and deploying troops to patrol the westward trails—were well-suited to the site. The site was selected because it was almost halfway between the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail and the westernmost navigable point in the Kansas River basin. It was also fortunate to be close to limestone cliffs, which could supply sturdy and conveniently accessible building materials.

George Armstrong Custer (1839–1876) was a prominent U.S. military officer known for his service during the American Civil War and his controversial actions in campaigns against Native Americans known as the Indian Wars. Custer is best remembered for his role in the Battle of Little Bighorn, where he and his troops suffered a devastating defeat against the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. Custer spent much of his life moving from one military assignment to another, and he and his wife, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, did not have a permanent residence. As a result, this historic officer's quarters are recognized as a historical site related to his life. The home in Fort Riley most nearly resembles the design and layout of a residence that General Custer and his spouse, Elizabeth Custer, would have stayed in.

Built in 1855 from local limestone, the Custer House captures the essence of early Fort Riley and life for officers who lived with their families on the western frontier during the era of the Indian Wars. This was one of six officer's quarters built during Fort Riley's initial construction phase and offered living quarters along the northern edge of the main parade area. The house's primary structure is a long, rectangular, two-story building with a gabled roof. The front of the house is adorned with a full-width, single-story porch, while the back has a one-story gabled extension. 

The walls and base are constructed from limestone that was quarried nearby, and the roof was originally covered in wooden shingles before being replaced with metal. The structure is divided into two identical units by a central wall so that each structure can house two officers and their families. Each apartment has a door at the end of the structure that leads to a stair hall with a casual parlor behind. The entry hall is next to the main parlor. Behind the front parlor is a one-story extension with a kitchen and a dining room. There is a fireplace with a brick chimney in each of these rooms.

pls4e. (2019, September 24). Custer House. SAH ARCHIPEDIA. https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-061-0081

Sites to see: Geary County CVB - official website. Sites to See | Geary County CVB - Official Website. (n.d.). https://www.junctioncity.org/55/Sites-to-See