Camp Mabry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Camp Mabry Historic District
(National Register of Historic Places)
Pre-9/11 Entrance to Camp Mabry
Location:	Austin, Texas, USA
Added to NRHP:	August 30, 1996
Governing body:	Texas

Camp Mabry is a military installation in Austin, Texas that houses the headquarters of the Texas Military Forces. Its site, three miles northwest of downtown along the present-day Mopac Expressway, was deeded from the city to the state in 1892. It was named for the Adjutant General of Texas at the time, Brigadier General Woodford Mabry.

For many years at the turn of the 20th century, the camp was home to annual encampments by the Texas state militia, who hosted reenactments and demonstrations for the people of Austin. Grandstands were built on the site, and further improvements to the site were funded by paid admissions to the events. The first permanent building onsite, an arsenal, was completed in 1915 and allowed military weaponry and equipment to be moved out of storage in the capitol building.

Camp Mabry is the third-oldest active military installation in Texas. It currently houses the office of the Adjutant General, as well as the headquarters of the Texas Air National Guard and Texas State Guard. Other facilities include the 136th Regional Training Institute, state Combined Support Maintenance Shops, the armory of the 36th Infantry Division headquarters, a clinic, a parachute packing and storage facility, and additional storage buildings. In 1992 the Texas Military Forces Museum opened on the site.

Prior to the attacks on September 11, 2001, Camp Mabry's mile-long track that sits adjacent to Mopac was a popular destination for walkers and joggers, and the field within it was used by many youth sports teams. After September 11, however, all of Mabry has been closed to the public and a non-aesthetically pleasing chain-link fence with razor wire now surrounds the compound.

The camp was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.