Houston Light Guard Explained

Houston Light Guard Armory
Coordinates:29.7358°N -95.3779°W
Location:3820 Caroline Street, Houston
Built:1925
Architect:Alfred C. Finn
Architecture:Late Renaissance Neo-Gothic
Added:4 January, 2024
Refnum:100009738

The Houston Light Guard was one of the oldest militia companies founded in Texas. Founded in 1873, it served as Company G of the 143rd Infantry Regiment during both World Wars[1] [2] [3] and later as A co 2nd Battalion, 143rd Infantry after the Pentomic division system. It was a part of the National Guard's only Airborne Infantry Brigades, was a Ranger Company,[4] [5] and a Long Range Surveillance Company.[6] [7] [8] [9] The Houston Light Guard moniker is an official US Army special designation.[10]

Armory

The original Houston Light Guard Armory was located on Texas St. and Fannin Ave. It designed by architect George Dickey and built in 1893 using cash prizes won by the Houston Light Guard in National drill competitions. In 1925 it was sold and the proceeds were used to build a new armory on Caroline St. The building was designed in 1925 by Alfred C. Finn, a local Houston architect. The privately owned property was denied a tax exemption causing the Houston Light Guard Association a financial burden for over the years before being transferred to the Texas National Guard in 1938, making it the first state owned armory in Texas. In 1991 the Houston Light Guards moved to Ellington Field and the property was purchased by Houston Community College to be repurposed as a library, but instead sat for decades in disrepair. Hopes were high when the Houston Hispanic Forum attempted to repurpose the property into a community center in early 2000. They approached the City of Houston's community development department to purchase the armory and offered to lease it from City. In late 2000 the city purchased the property and approved the lease; however, the Houston Hispanic Forum could not live up the city's agreement of raising $3 Million for renovations[11] [12] and the Armory continued to sit in decay. Then in 2008 the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, founded in 2000 and originally located on 1834 Southmore Blvd, began raising funds to purchase the Caroline St. Armory,[13] and In November 2012 the armory became home to the nations largest repository of African-American Military History.[14] [15]

It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1992[16] and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2024.[17]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Becker, Ann Dunphy . The Houston Light Guard "Preliminary Analects for a Corporate Biography of the Houston Light Guard Particularly as Personified through the lives and letters of the Bringhurst Family" The Houston Light Guard Motto "Benevolent, Charitable, and Educational" . Harris County Historical Commission . 2004 . Houston, TX. Contact Info
  2. Web site: Olson . Bruce A. . February 1, 1995 . Houston Light Guards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213222149/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/houston-light-guards . February 13, 2024 . October 27, 2020 . Texas State Historical Association .
  3. Web site: Texas Historical Commission . 1982 . The Houston Light Guard, State Historical Marker # 10696 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220519181629/https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=119858 . May 19, 2022 . THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE.
  4. News: Bell . T.E. . November 10, 1985 . The Houston Light Guard - From flamboyant beginnings to World War II heroics . subscription . Houston Chronicle . 10.
  5. News: Golightly . Glen . April 25, 1994 . Old, young Light Guards recall soldiering memories . subscription . Houston Chronicle . 9.
  6. Web site: September 27, 2002 . The Houston Light Guard . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20031223095248/http://www.houstonlightguard.org/ . December 23, 2003.
  7. Web site: Lemmer . Paul . August 18, 2001 . The Houston Light Guard, A Narrative . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20021022023125/http://members.aol.com/cog143in/Narrative.html . October 22, 2002 . Company G 143d Infantry (LRS).
  8. Web site: Faulkner . Michael . July 7, 2000 . Co. G 143d Infantry (LRS) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20010424023504/http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/3143/ . April 24, 2001 . February 9, 2024 . Unofficial Homepage for Co. G 143d Infantry (LRS).
  9. News: Jacobs . Janet . August 13, 2001 . Paratroopers mark retirement of unit with one last jump . subscription . Austin American~Statesman . B1, B5.
  10. Web site: Special Designations . US Army Center for Military History (CMH).
  11. News: Canon . Kim . January 10, 2001 . Hispanic Forum set for move Nonprofit to relocate to armory building . subscription . Houston Chronicle . 1.
  12. News: Walden . Jim . March 28, 2002 . Forum to restore historic armory Work to begin in mid-summer . subscription . Houston Chronicle . 8.
  13. Web site: Hager . Jesse . March 6, 2009 . A Building Worth Saving: Houston Light Guard Armory . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220404210450/https://www.ricedesignalliance.org/houston-light-guard-armory-buffalo-soldiers . April 4, 2022 . February 16, 2024 . Rice Design Alliance.
  14. News: Sewing . Joy . October 31, 2022 . Sewing: Buffalo Soldiers National Museum continues telling history, sharing a legacy . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207074711/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/Buffalo-soldiers-17537006.php . December 7, 2022 . Houston Chronicle.
  15. Web site: Bertrand . Desmond . 11 July 2017 . Buffalo Soldiers National Museum . https://web.archive.org/web/20240213221739/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/buffalo-soldiers-national-museum . 13 February 2024 . 13 February 2024 . Texas State Historical Association .
  16. Web site: Texas Historical Commission . Houston Light Guard Armory, State Historical Marker #10697 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220526114729/https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=119860 . May 26, 2022 . THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE.
  17. Web site: June 12, 2023 . National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Draft), Houston Light Guard Armory . https://web.archive.org/web/20240216155957/https://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/national_register/draft_nominations/Houston%2C%20Light%20Guard%20Armory%20SBR.pdf . February 16, 2024 . February 16, 2024 . Texas Historical Commission.

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