Fort Thomas Barracks History
1890-1964
In 1887, a site was needed to house a United States Army post to replace Newport Barracks located in the adjoining city of Newport, Kentucky. Built in 1803, Newport Barracks replaced the smaller Fort Washington, located across the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio. That army post was located at the junction of the Licking and Ohio Rivers, but it was prone to flooding and flooded numerous times during the early 1880s. A new, less flood prone location was sought.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 July 1887, page 4
THE NEW BARRACKS
A SITE OF 111 ACRES SELECTED AND THE DEEDS TO BE MADE AT ONCE
It was announced in the Enquirer yesterday that the site for the new Newport Barracks had been selected. Yesterday Sam Biggstaff received official notification to prepare the deeds immediately. The price paid was $43,000 for 111 acres. The tract is situated about four miles from Newport and is one of the nicest places in the county, yet in the opinion of some it is a little too far from the city.
A view of twenty miles of the surrounding country is one of the attractions of the place. It is near the Ohio River and well drained. There is sufficient ground for a rifle range. Railroad and steamboats pass the grounds daily. It is directly opposite the Little Miami River.
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In 1887, the United States Army moved the Newport Barracks to higher ground in nearby Fort Thomas due to excessive flooding. Congress appropriated $3,500,000 for construction, which commenced immediately. The post was designated Fort Thomas in 1890 and was named for noted Civil War Union General George Henry Thomas.
First garrisoned 15 Aug 1890 by two companies of the 6th U S Infantry and first commanded by Colonel Melville Cochran. One of the early structures built on the new post was a 102 foot Kentucky limestone water tower. Within the tower is a 100,000 gallon standpipe that stores water and supplies water pressure for the post. The tower was a fortress like structure built in 1890 at a cost of $10,995. The tower has been embellished over the years with plaques and a set of cannons commemorating various war heroes, battles and wars.
Other permanent structures on the post included two sets of officer housing (Greene Street and Alexander Circle), a large brick barracks building, NCO quarters, a brick mess hall and a large brick armory building. Temporary housing and barracks supplemented the permanent structures during the World War I and World War II expansions.
The area has many remnants of this era with a 102-foot high Stone Water Tower as a familiar landmark which stands at the entrance to Tower Park. It was the 16th structure built on the grounds of the Military Reservation. It encloses a standpipe which has a capacity of 100,000 gallons, pumped from the Water District reservoirs just across South Fort Thomas Avenue. In 1890 when the military base was established, such provisions for water supply was necessary as there was no other water tower in this area. Cannons that were captured in Cuba's Havana Harbor during the Spanish–American War rest on stone platforms in front of the Tower. The dates marked on these cannons, reflecting the date they were made in Barcelona, Spain, are "1768" and "1769."
The U.S. 6th Infantry Regiment moved to Fort Thomas, where it remained until called to action again in June 1898, in the Spanish American War.
Fort Thomas served as a depot, induction center, and military hospital. Most of the garrison was transferred to the Veterans Administration in 1946, but military activities continued until the fort was closed in 1964.