O.C. FisherO.C. Fisher was born on November 22, 1903 in the town of Kimble. His family moved to the town of Junction, where he spent the rest of his childhood. After graduating high school, Fisher studied at the University of Colorado and the University of Texas. He earned a law degree from Baylor University in 1929 and passed the bar exam that year. He spend the next two years in San Angelo practicing law then became the county attorney for Tom Green County, a position he held until 1935 when he was elected to the Texas legislature. He served in the state legislature before becoming the district attorney for the 119th District in 1937. Fisher held that position until 1942, when he was elected to Congress. He passed away in 1994.

The O. C. Fisher Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse was built in 1911 and a striking example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture.

"O. C. Fisher Federal Building." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. 

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Located across the street from the Cactus Hotel, the O. C. Fisher Federal Building is one of San Angelo's most architecturally significant buildings. Erected in 1911 (and later expanded in 1932), the building is an especially fine example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture. Designed by architect James Knox Taylor, it is named after Ovie Fisher Clark (1903-1904), a conservative Democrat who served in the U.S. Congress from 1942-1974. The construction of the building was significant in that it represented San Angelo's status as a well-established city—worthy of federal presence—in the early 1900s. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, the building continues to serve as a federal courthouse. A local office of the Internal Revenue Service is also located in the building. 

O. C. Fisher Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse

This walk through historic San Angelo begins at City Hall and includes historical markers, museums, landmarks, and many of the city's oldest churches and buildings. The tour concludes at the Santa Fe Railway Freight Depot and the Railway Museum of San Angelo. 

Walking Tour of Downtown San Angelo, Texas

San Angelo City Hall was built during the prosperous times of the 1920s, largely thanks to the discovery of oil and natural gas. By that point it was already a thriving town for a number of years due to a number of factors including Fort Concho, the railroads, a constant supply of water, ranching, and agriculture. The fort, in fact, played a key role, as merchants and other traders catered to the soldiers who were willing to spend money. San Angelo grew steadily in the coming years and it became a key shipping center. After fossil fuels were discovered, the city flourished. It was in this context that the City Hall Building was built and the Moderne architecture reflected the city's status as a key economic hub for the region.

San Angelo City Hall is one of the most unique buildings in the city. Designed by famed El Paso firm Trost & Trost, it was built in 1928 and is an excellent—and rare for the region—example of Moderne architecture. The building features a stepped appearance and three, large French Romanesque arched doorways, and a smooth coursed stone facade. Additionally, inside there is an auditorium decorated with stenciled walls. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and is also a Texas Historic Landmark.   

San Angelo City Hall

First Presbyterian Church was founded in the mid-1880s by a group of 35 members, who built a small church that was located on the corner of College and Irving Streets. By 1906, the church had 200 members. As a result of this increase in membership, the congregation decided to build the current building. The tower was originally much taller (nearly twice in height) but it was shortened in the 1930s because of structural issues. The church used to have a pastor's study, library, classrooms, and a hall in the basement. It also even featured a water-powered organ. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Located across the street from City Hall, First Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest major churches in the city. Built in 1908, it is an impressive example of Victorian and Romanesque architecture. The church features fine buff brick with stone trim, a corner tower, three arched door openings, and a rose window over the main entrance. Inside, the building features original pews, an organ with painted pipes, and a restored beaded board wooden ceiling.

First Presbyterian Church

The congregation's roots originate in the 1870s. The first Episcopal services were held at the historic Fort Concho in 1871 by Rev. Norman Badger, who was sent to the fort to be its chaplain. Eventually a building was constructed to be a chapel and school; it was placed under the jurisdiction of the Missionary District of Western Texas. The leader of the district, which was based in San Antonio, Bishop Robert W.B. Elliot raised funds on a trip in the early 1880s to the east coast to build the congregation's first church, a wood-frame structure that was completed in 1888. In 1909, it was moved to the property where the current church now stands and a rectory was also built. A few years later in 1913, the church was placed under the jurisdiction of the newly created Missionary District of North Texas, which was based in Amarillo. Later, as stated above, the congregation built the current church in 1929 using stones from the demolished 1885 courthouse. In the 1940s, the church became and remains a part of the Northwest District of Texas. In the late 1950s, the congregation built an education wing and added other buildings in the coming years including the Parish Hall in 1976.

Designed by architect John G. Becker and built in 1929, the Emmanuel Episcopal Church is home to congregation founded in 1884. The church is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and was built using stone taken from the 1885 courthouse which was demolished in 1927. It features gothic arches, a tower, a rose window with stained glass above the main entrance, and lancet windows that also have stained glass. Modern buildings are located adjacent to the church, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. 

Emmanuel Episcopal Church 

<div>Green was born in Virginia in 1814. In 1817, the Green family moved to Tennessee. Green would go on to earn a degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. After completing his degree, he began studying law with his father, a judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Green moved to Texas in order to fight in the Texas Revolution. During the war, he fought under Sam Houston. After the war, he moved back to Tennessee in order to continue his law studies.&nbsp;</div><div> <div>In 1837, Green moved to Fayette County, Texas after receiving a land grant for his service during the revolution. He became involved in the political system of The Texas Republic, serving a number of offices. He served as the engrossing clerk for the Texas House of Representatives from 1837-1839. In 1839, he served as a representative for Fayette County in the House of Representatives in the Fourth Texas Congress. He served one term before resuming his clerk position. He was the Secretary of the Senate in the Sixth and Eighth Texas Congress. He served as the clerk of the Supreme Court of Texas from 1841-1861, both when Texas was a republic and after it was incorporated as a U.S. state. During the Red River Campaign, where he suffers fatal wounds, Green led his cavalry troops from Texas to Louisiana in an effort to stop Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks advancing towards Shreveport, Louisiana. A Texas soldier who fought under Green once said about him: "He was a man who, when out of whiskey, was a mild-mannered gentleman, but when in good supply of old burst-head was all fight."</div></div><div> </div>

Thomas Green was a soldier who fought in the Texas Revolution of 1835-36 as well as the Civil War, where he fought for the Confederacy and became a brigadier general. He died in the Red River Campaign during the Civil War.


Tom Green- Historical Marker

<div>The settlement history of this land dates back to before it was incorporated as a county. The German Emigration Company had land here but found that when they came to establish a colony it was blocked by Native Americans. Managers of the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail also lived in the area from 1858-1861. The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach service that ran from Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California. The routes went through Native American territory, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Baja California, and California. The stagecoach service carried passengers and in March of 1857 began carrying mail to the Far West. Mail had previously been taken here by ship from the Gulf of Mexico to Panama, where it was then freighted to the Pacific and taken by ship to California. The RF Tankersley family made the future Tom Green country their permanent home in 1854. By 1874 there were five settlements in the area. </div><div><div>San Angelo's origins date back to the establishment of the first irrigated farm in West Texas by Jake Marshall in 1868 on the South Concho River. During the same year, Bartholomew J. Dewitt bought land across the river and developed a community that first only consisted of a saloon and a few gambling establishments. It was named Santa Angela after either Mrs. Dewitt or her sister, who was the mother superior of the Ursuline Convent in San Antonio, where the Dewitts were from. The name was changed to San Angelo so that an application for a post office would be approved.</div><div> </div> </div>

Tom Green County, where San Angelo is the county seat, was officially established in 1874. It was on a trail of the California Gold Rush and was part of the Bexar Land District in the Republic of Texas until 1846. The county was named after Confederate brigadier general Thomas Green.


Original Tom Green County- historical marker 

The first county courthouse, an adobe-like building, was constructed in the town of Ben Ficklin in 1876. A flood destroyed it in 1882, which prompted the construction of the second courthouse. This one, a Greek Revival structure made of stone, was more substantial. It was two-stories tall and featured a cylindrical tower on the roof. However, in August 1882, a flood destroyed Ben Ficklin and the county seat was moved to San Angelo. There, the third courthouse was built in 1885. It was a three-story structure designed in the Second Empire style. It served as the seat of county government until 1927 when it was demolished as the current courthouse was being built.

The Tom Green County Courthouse is an excellent and unmistakeable example of Classical Revival architecture. Designed by architect Anton Korn, the two-story building was erected in 1928 and features colonnades with large Corinthian columns on two sides. It was built in the midst of the 1920s, which was a prosperous decade for the city and the entire country. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 for its architecture and the role it has played in the civic life of the county. It is named after Confederate General Tom Green, who was killed in action during the Civil War in 1864.

Tom Green County Courthouse

Peter Freeze was born in 1864 and trained as a Blacksmith growing up. He immigrated to America in 1881 settled in San Angelo three years later. He found work in a local Blacksmith shop but, remarkably, he bought out the business just a month after he started. He became very successful in the coming years and bought his own shop which, it appears, was located on the property on which the current building stands. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed it on April 2, 1887. Fortunately his family's house, which was behind the shop, was spared. Despite this setback, Freeze built a new shop immediately, completing it on July 23 and built an addition in the back of the building the next year. In 1892 he sold the building as a result of financial troubles. After Freeze sold it, it continued to be used as Blacksmith shop. In the decades that followed, the building was used in a variety of ways that illustrate San Angelo's growth from a rural town to a modern city. These include a grocery and warehouse, saloon, livery stable, veterinary practice, businesses related to automobiles, a furniture company, and a cable TV company. In the 1990s the building was restored to its original appearance. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Though a simple two-story building, the historic Freeze Building is significant for what it represents: San Angelo's transition from a rural town to the thriving city it is today. Danish immigrant Peter K. Freeze built in 1887 (before railroads reached the town) as his Blacksmith and wheelwright shop. It features three arched openings on the first floor (one is the main entrance and the other two are windows) and was constructed with sandstone. The modern canopy seen today replaces the original one, which appeared in an early picture of the building. Today the building appears to house a retail or commercial establishment.

Freeze Building

History of the Frontier Brothel The history of Miss Hattie’s Bordello begins with the establishment of San Angelo by Bartholomew J. DeWitt in 1867, and although it was quite rugged at the time, the construction of the railroad two decades later&nbsp;brought hoards of&nbsp;settlers and entrepreneurs&nbsp;moving into the Texas city. To support the population growth, there was a prominent business boom in the 1890s, and this boom included the growth of brothels and saloons.&nbsp;In 1902, saloon-owner Mr. Hatton and his wife purchased a two-story building on Concho Avenue, and after Mr. and Mrs. Hatton divorced that year, she received the upper floor of the building. In an attempt to support herself and supply the needs of cowboys, ranchers, and local businessmen, Mrs. Hatton (now Miss Hattie) refashioned the upper&nbsp;floor and opened her brothel. The women who worked here charged between $1 and $2 for their services, of which they received 50%.&nbsp;As the prohibition came to San Angelo&nbsp;in the 1919, the brothel thrived and was connected to the local speakeasies and other brothels linked throughout San Angelo, and Concho became San Angelo’s unofficial vice district. Miss Hattie’s political and business connections in San Angelo allowed the brothel to continue operation well after the prohibition, but by 1952, the brothel shut down.&nbsp;
Museum Tour 
The historic building sat empty for nearly two decades after it shut down, and in the 1970s, the old brothel officially opened as a museum to pay tribute to&nbsp;and educate visitors on the time period as well as the role of prostitution in the frontier town. In fact, the brothel still features its original furnishings, including bed frames, the ceiling, and much more.Tours of the museum can take about 30 minutes, though visitors are encouraged to explore and digest each of the five bedrooms as long as they would like. These bedrooms focus on individual stories of the women who lived and worked in the building, and the furniture and other furnishings remain original to either the time period or the brothel itself. Tickets to the museum can be purchased next to the museum at Legend Jewelers.2

As a frontier town in the late 1800s, San Angelo was awash with many of the same sights and amenities typical to the early cities of western expansion. As the first street in the old “Santa Angela,” Concho Avenue once catered to the rough types who settled from eastern states in search of work. With hundreds of men and few women living and working in these rugged towns, the frontier brothel played a central role in the leisurely activities of workers and businessmen. 

Dating back to 1902, Miss Hattie’s Bordello once stood as the central brothel in the area, and it operated for 50 years until the Texas Rangers finally raided the place and shut it down. With a museum housed in the historic 1898 building where Miss Hattie’s was located, visitors can discover a new side to the old west that they may have never encountered before. With a tour through Miss Hattie’s Bordello, visitors can discover the life and times of the frontier brothel while exploring the stories of the women who worked in these institutions in San Angelo. Although Miss Hattie’s operated as a brothel, tours of the museum are kid-friendly.

Miss Hattie's Bordello

The Cactus Hotel was one of the first hotels built by the founder of the Hilton Hotel chain, Conrad Hilton (1887-1979), who was born in San Antonia New Mexico. Growing up, Hilton attended Goss Military Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico; the Military Institute at Roswell; and St. Michael's College in Santa Fe. Before he reached the age of 18, he already worked as a trader, clerk, and a speculator. To earn more income, his father opened part of the family general store he owned into a hotel in 1907 and this is when Hilton got his first taste of the hotel business. In the coming hears, Hilton attended the New Mexico Mining Institute and and co-founded a mercantile business. He was elected to the New Mexico state legislature and established the New Mexico State Bank the next year. When the United States entered World War I in 1971, Hilton joined the army and served as a lieutenant.Upon returning from the war, Hilton started his career in the hotel business when bought a small hotel in Cisco, Texas called the Mobley in 1919. By the beginning of the Great Depression a decade later, he had opened eight hotels, including the Cactus Hotel. He used three strategies in his career to build his hotel empire: leasing and remodeling existing hotels; constructing hotels on leased land, mostly in Texas; and buying hotels well below market rate. By the 1950s, he owned 188 hotels. He passed away in 1979 and left the majority of his wealth—around a half billion dollars—to the Conrad Hilton Foundation. The Cactus Hotel has been an important landmark not just architecturally economically as well. Over the years it has hosted numerous events, been the site where business deals have been made, and where civic galas took place. Commercial establishments have also been leased in the ground floor. After over three decades of operation as a hotel, the building became a home for the elderly. In 1983, it became he Hotel Cactus.

Reaching a height of 165 feet, the Cactus Hotel is the tallest buildings in San Angelo and has remained an important landmark since it was built in 1928. Originally called the Hilton Hotel, the fourteen-story building was designed by architect Anton Korn in a combination of Southwestern motifs and classical elements. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it resembles a Renaissance palace and features a mission-tile roof. 

Hilton Hotel (Cactus Hotel) San Angelo Texas  

Through fund-raising efforts and extensive historic research, Morris and Historic Murals of San Angelo now boasts around 14 historic mural projects, and the numbers are continuing to grow as tourists and locals have seen the downtown area vibrantly revitalized. In essence, these murals represent the frontier lifestyle inherent to the San Angelo and Texas identity.&nbsp;The permanent murals scattered throughout the downtown area include the Blacksmith Mural, Chadbourne Street Mural, West Texas Ranching Mural, Old Household Furniture Store Windows Mural, several Military Murals, and others. Furthermore, the Historic Murals of San Angelo endures as the only mural project in the United States that features both light and sound 24/7. At night, many of the murals come alive with beautiful outdoor lighting, while the public can always access free recorded information regarding the construction of the mural and the history it represents. The mission of the Historic Murals of San Angelo project is to showcase the history-rich legacy of the West Texas forefathers to both current and future populations, and because of the intricate artistic skill used on each mural the sheer power of the images, Historic Murals of San Angelo has won the prestigious Best of San Angelo Award in 2014 as well as the Spirit of San Angelo Award.2
Murals of San Angelo 
Although many tourists say that these murals offer ideal photographic and historic opportunities, tourists still have to locate the murals. Fortunately, because of their easy-to-see locations throughout the downtown area and the availability of detailed maps, most tourists discover these murals as they go about their day-to-day activities.&nbsp;The most popular mural is the Chadbourne Street Mural, located on the corner of South Chadbourne and West Concho. This mural showcases precise and historically accurate details regarding the street in 1908, including everything from the businesses and buildings inhabiting the area, early automobiles, a street car, and streets paved with blocks of wood. Therefore, the Chadbourne Street Mural offers views the unique chance to visualize the area both now and then.3&nbsp;Each of the other 13 (and counting) murals in the city feature a similar disposition, with a historically accurate and beautiful image showcasing a different nuance of the early city and the West Texas identity.&nbsp;

This mural depicts the history of San Angelo Army Air Field and is one of fourteen murals that are part of the Historic Murals of San Angelo project. The project dates back to 1997, when founder Susan Morris moved to San Angelo from Louisiana and discovered that the downtown area was in dire need of revitalization. This mural was completed in 2012 and shows the origins of San Angelo Army Air Field as a World War II training base for pilots and air crews to Goodfellow Air Force Base and its modern mission of training firefighters, linguists, and military intelligence personnel. 

San Angelo Army Air Field Mural and the Historical Murals of San Angelo

History and Architecture Although the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts&nbsp;was first founded in 1981, it opened its doors to the public in 1985 and was located in a historic 1864 Quartermaster Building at the acclaimed Fort Concho National Historical Landmark. Between 1985 and 1999, museum-goers could tour Fort Concho and stop by the museum to explore its various exhibits that were donated by the National Portrait Gallery, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Library of Congress.1Over time, local and international artists donated their works while curators acquired historical pieces, and from 1994 to 1999, around $8 million was raised to build a dedicated building for the museum. With the expertise of the internationally renowned architectural firm, Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates of New York and Los Angeles, the new museum building endures as a modern and inspiration masterpiece that draws thousands of visitors from around the world.2
Museum Collections and Special Events 
Visitors to the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts can discover a rapidly growing permanent collection of over 300 works of contemporary ceramic (Ceramics Monthly cited the biannual Ceramics Competition at this museum to be the “premier clay show in America”), various historical ceramic works from Asia, over 60 paintings and sculptures made by Texan artists, and over 100 works of Spanish Colonial Mexican religious art. In total, the permanent collection houses more than 650 objects, and the depth of this collection continues to grow with the most recent addition of American glass that ranges from the Colonial Era to Post WWII.3&nbsp;The Scripps Howard Library has around 4,000 titles and folders that include books, art and architecture references, Texas maps, and other research materials.4 Visitors to the museum should also pay attention to the variety of competitions, events, and special activities occurring throughout the year. The Ceramic and Sculpture competitions stand as some of the most popular, though the Play It Again concert series featuring the West Texas Jazz Orchestra endure as exciting family events.5

The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is located in downtown San Angelo along the scenic Concho River. Since its opening in 1985, this museum has featured over 350 exhibits covering all mediums in its three spacious galleries, and it currently caters to hundreds of thousands of residents in 15 counties throughout West Texas. With a mission to educate and entertain the general public in San Angelo and the rural communities of the Concho Valley, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts sets the standard for the local and statewide artistic community.

Because of the variety and depth of the exhibits featured at this museum over the years, it has received the Citizen of the Year Award from the Chamber of Commerce in 1992 and 2005, the National Award for Museum Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2003, and the Award of Excellence in Museums from the Texas Historical Commission in 2011. The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts gained accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2005. 

San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

History of Fort Concho After the Civil War, the United State’s Army changed focus from the battlefield to peacetime activities, and with the continual growth of westward settlement, frontier forts were necessary for protecting American settlers while ensuring the maintenance of economic trade routes. Similar to many frontier forts of the time, Fort Concho maintained sizable infantry and calvary units. The artillery, however, was quite limited and Fort Concho had a few cannons in operation, which are still around today.1It took nearly ten years to build the fort, and with the help of German contractors recruited from Fredericksburg, many of the structures on the fort were built with&nbsp;sandstone from nearby quarries. Although much of the daily routine at Fort Concho consisted of maintaining the post and conducting daily guard and ceremonial duties, troops were sometimes sent by the famed Colonels Ranald Slidell Mackenzie for scouting trips and campaigns against native tribes and civilians who stole government property. In 1882, Mackenzie and his troops, known as the Mackenzie Raiders, attacked a large Comanche encampment, killing 23 and taking another 127 women and child captive.2&nbsp;Fort Concho was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
Fort Concho Museum 
Beginning in 1905, concerned citizens and private owners demanded that the fort should be saved as a memorial to West Texas pioneers, and in&nbsp;1928, the West Texas Museum was founded in San Angelo and then moved to the Fort Concho headquarters two years later. Nowadays, the City of San Angelo operates Fort Concho, providing nearly 50% of its annual funding. Hundreds of volunteers also contribute and assist with a variety of educational programs, special events, and ongoing activities.3&nbsp;Visitors to Fort Concho typically start their tours at Barracks 1, which is also the administrative and visitors center of the museums and fort. Many of the other barracks in the fort (there are 6 total) contain several exhibits and historical recreations, such as the fort’s reproduction artillery piece and an exhibit showcasing the life of a 19th century soldier.4&nbsp;The E.H. Danner Museum of Telephony is also a popular site within Fort Concho. Contained in the old Officers’ Quarters No. 4, this museum features a wide array telephones from the 1880s, including Alexander Graham Bell’s “Gallows Frame Phone,” a manual switchboard used at the time to connect calls, and even a 1898 hotel lobby telephone. Visitors can also discover special museum exhibits (such as the Bill Stebbins Weaponry Collection) or enjoy several educational programs, including Civil War lecture series, ladies living history workshops, kids’ summer programs, and much more.5

Fort Concho dates back to the years following the Civil War, when American settlers were moving westwards across the United States to discover new economic and social opportunities. To protect these frontier settlers, the United States Army built Fort Concho in 1867 to replace the previous Fort Chadbourne north of San Angelo. For over 22 years, Fort Concho protected settlers, the United States postal service, stagecoaches, wagon trains, and trade routes. Furthermore, Fort Concho was used in the late 1800s as a launching point for military campaigns against Comanches tribes. 

At the height of Fort Concho’s strength, it housed around 400 to 500 men and it consisted of 40 buildings on 40 acres. After the railroad arrived and the need for military protection waned, the fort was deactivated in 1889. Today, Fort Concho is open to the public and it features the original fort along with 23 main structures. However, the most popular structure is the Fort Concho Museum, which houses over 35,000 artifacts and introduces visitors to life, culture, and the role of the military in the American expansion westwards.

Fort Concho

The regiment served in combat during the Indian Wars in the
Western US, the Spanish-American War in Cuba, and the Philippine-American war.
The regiment was changed to a non-combat unit and served as such during World
War II until it was deactivated in 1944. The 10th Cavalry was then
reactivated in 1958 as an integrated combat unit. Since then, the regiment has
served in a number of conflicts, including the Vietnam War, Operation Enduring
Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

&nbsp;The 10th Cavalry was one of the original “Buffalo
Soldier” regiments. Eventually, the term came to refer to all African-American
regiments formed during this period; however, the term originates with the 10th
Cavalry. There are a number of stories and legends surrounding the nickname
“Buffalo Soldier.” One of the more popular stories comes from a confrontation
between a member of the 10th Cavalry Regiment and Cheyenne Native
Americans in September of 1867. Private John Randall, a member of Troop G, was
escorting two civilians on a hunting trip. Seventy Cheyenne soldiers attacked
Randall and the civilians. The civilians were soon killed, but Randall’s
prowess in combat led the Cheyenne to telling others about this new type of
soldier they encountered, “who had fought like a cornered buffalo; who like a
buffalo had suffered wound after wound, yet had not died; and who like a
buffalo had a thick and shaggy mane of hair.”

After the Civil War, the United States Congress created six new US Army regiments specifically designed for Black troops. The Tenth Cavalry was one of these regiments and was formed in 1867 under Col. Benjamin Grierson. The order to create the Black regiments contained a stipulation that they must be led by white commanding officers. Due to problems of racial discrimination faced at the regiment’s original station at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the regiment moved to Fort Concho in San Angelo in 1875.

The Tenth Cavalry- Historical Marker

The Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient Railroad built the depot from 1909 to 1910. The two-story building was designed in the Prairie School style and features a tile roof, dormers, and overhangs. The railroad was founded by mining and railroad businessman Arthur Stilwell, who was a prominent figure in the Southwest. His intent was to connect Kansas to Asia (the Orient) by building a line from Kansas to the Pacific coast of Mexico. The company never fully realized this goal as it struggled financially. However, it played a key role in transporting oil during the 1920s and establishing San Angelo as key retail and wholesale center in the surrounding region. The depot, which the company also used it for its district offices, is one of the few buildings the company built that are still standing. The Santa Fe Railroad bought the company in 1928. It is not readily apparent how long passenger service continued at the depot or what happened to it before it became the museum.

Opened in 1994, the Railway Museum of San Angelo showcases the history of railroading in San Angelo and the surrounding region. It features exhibits, model trains, and a research library. A locomotive and a few other railroad stock are on display outside. The museum is housed in the historic Santa Fe Passenger Depot, which was built in 1910 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.	


Railway Museum of San Angelo

The depot is located across the street from the Santa Fe Passenger Depot (now the Railway Museum of San Angelo), which was built in 1910 by the Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient Railroad. The Santa Fe Railway bought this company 1928, a few years after it built the freight depot. The depot's offices were located in the two-story portion of the building, allowing staff to work while monitoring the freight being loaded and unloaded. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 for its functional architecture and the role it played in contributing to the town's economic development. It is unclear when it was converted into the senior center.

Now called the Santa Fe Crossing Senior Center, the Santa Fe Railway Freight Depot is a historic train station built around 1925 by the Santa Fe Railway. It is a long building that is simple in design, which matches its original utilitarian purpose. The southwest portion of the building is two-stories tall while the rest is one-story. This latter part features large doors and is where freight was loaded to and from trains and trucks. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. 

Walking Tour of Downtown San Angelo, Texas

O. C. Fisher Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information