Fort Stanton Historic Site
From 1855 to 1861, Fort Stanton served as a military post created to alleviate threats from marauding Mescalero Apache Indians to settlers and travelers in south-central New Mexico. Situated on 240 acres, and surrounded by more than 25,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management property, the fort comprises an astounding 88 buildings, some dating back to 1855.
Featuring officers’ quarters and barracks, dining hall, chapel, power plant, gym, pool, fire station, and a former United States post office, the fort may be one of the most intact 19th-century military garrisons in the United States today. While it was ultimately abandoned to Confederate forces early in the Civil War, the fort served many roles throughout the 20th century, from a Merchant Marine tuberculosis hospital, to a World War II internment camp, to a low-level security women’s prison and more.
Now designated as a New Mexico Historic Site, Fort Stanton is home to a museum that chronicles the uses of the property since 1855. The site also hosts activities and outreach programs for thousands of visitors each year.
While the State of New Mexico provides funding to preserve and operate the site, private contributions through the Museum of New Mexico Foundation are critical in creating the programs that tell the story of this extraordinary historic treasure.
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