'Fort Sam' – as it's known 'round here – is ready to enlist you for a little military history. Its claims to fame? The Apache Chief Geronimo was held here for 40 days. It was also the site of first military flight in US history in 1910. And it's home to several historic buildings with designated museums.
The oldest building at Fort Sam (and Geronimo's short-term residence) is the Quadrangle , built in 1876. Today the Quadrangle is open to the public, and it leads through to a sort of petting zoo: deer have been kept here for more than 100 years, and rabbits, ducks and chickens abound. At time of writing, the Fort Sam Houston Museum was moving in to the Quadrangle, and should be complete by the time you visit.
In the northeast section of the grounds, the US Army Medical Department Museum has a display of army medical gear from the US and several other countries, including Germany, the former Soviet Union, Vietnam and China, and a cool collection of restored ambulances, helicopters and a hospital rail car. But what makes the AMEDD museum really worth the trip is the collection of Civil War surgical gear, notably the disturbing saws and portable amputation kits.
