We the People: Historic Fort McIntosh lives on at Laredo College

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - As the nation approaches its 250th birthday, KGNS continues its We the People series by highlighting places that helped shape and defend the United States, including one now hiding in plain sight.

What appears today to be the Laredo College campus was once Fort McIntosh, a frontier military post established in 1849 to protect a key Rio Grande crossing.

Originally named Camp Crawford, the post was later renamed Fort McIntosh in honor of Col. James Simmons McIntosh, a Mexican-American War officer who died from battle wounds. Over nearly a century, the fort played roles during the Mexican-American War, Civil War, and both World Wars.

After the Civil War, federal troops returned to enforce the border and monitor cross-border movement. At its height, the post functioned much like a small town, complete with barracks, a hospital, chapel, bakery, and cemetery.

Many of those structures still stand today and are undergoing preservation and renovation efforts.

“So we’ve tried to capture the 200-acre story of Fort McIntosh,” Laredo College President Dr. Minita Ramirez explained. “Since 1947, the old fort has been the home of the city’s oldest institute.”

One of the most notable restorations is the commander’s home, where hidden architectural features continue to emerge.

“You never know what’s behind the wall,” she said. “As we started to dig through the walls, you find more and more of the original beauty of the Commander’s house.”

Evidence of an old escape tunnel also remains in the basement, carefully preserved rather than altered. Nearby, the former chapel—now named for Medal of Honor recipient David B. Barkley Cantu—remains a quiet place for reflection.

“It really is beautiful and it allows people to come in here and just meditate [and] reflect,” Dr. Ramirez told us.

Other buildings are also being repurposed while preserving their character. The former guardhouse is being restored into a veterans support center with the help of a $1.4 million federal grant, while historic barracks will soon reopen as the college’s advising center.

Officials say restoration projects rely on a mix of philanthropy, bond savings, and deferred maintenance funding, all aimed at preserving the stories of thousands of soldiers who once trained there.

Though the original cemetery no longer contains burials, leaders say it remains sacred ground and a reminder of the sacrifices made by service members.

A small portion of the former fort remains under U.S. Army ownership today, currently housing National Guard members assisting with border security operations.

KGNS will continue sharing South Texas history through the We the People series as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary this July.

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