Fort Concho to celebrate Buffalo Soldier Heritage Day
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — In honor of Buffalo Soldier Heritage Day, the Fort Concho National Historic Landmark will be holding a presentation at the Buffalo Soldier Memorial on Sunday, Feb. 25.
The memorial grounds, which is adjacent to the San Angelo Farmers Market located at 609 S. Oakes St., will see a presentation given by Sherley Spears, the memorial’s founder. The program will then move across the street to Fort Concho’s Barracks 1 Visitor Center for a book signing by Jim Matthews, a San Antonio author who has written a new book on the Buffalo Soldier unit.
Participants will also get the chance to see the fort’s new Buffalo Soldier exhibit at Barracks 1.
The program runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is free for everyone. Light refreshments will be provided.
Buffalo soldiers were Black soldiers of the regular Army who served mostly west of the Mississippi after the Civil War. Units of all four Buffalo Soldier regiments served at Fort Concho from 1869 to 1885, with the most famous unit, the 10th Cavalry, having its headquarters at the fort from 1875 to 1882. Over Fort Concho’s 22 active years, the buffalo soldiers comprised half of the post’s enlisted men.
“This is a great opportunity to learn about the history and achievements of the Buffalo Soldiers and to pay tribute to their contributions to our country,” Fort Concho said on its webpage for the event.
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