Thanksgiving, 1918	Christmas, 1903

 

Part of the 2nd Reg. Band	A Fort Baseball Team key to players names	Guard House and Barracks	Entrance to the Barracks

 

Soldiers at the Mess  Hall, Circa 1908	Soldiers at the Mess  Hall, Circa 1908	Soldiers at Fort  Thomas, 1918

In the chow line

A soldier thrown in the “steel dungeon” of the Fort Thomas guardhouse almost dies
because they can't get the door unlocked.  The story's here.

29th Company Band	Guard Mount, Company H, 10th US Infantry	After Guard Mount, Fort Thomas

 

The Jarhead's Chuckwagon  Enters the Fort	Fort Scene from a Facebook post by Johannah Moran	After Guard Mount, US Soldiers, Fort Thomas

 

Stationed at Fort Thomas
right, Corp. Owen W. Gray and Pvt. John Luman

A soldier writes home in 1917, letter's here.

New Recruits in  Line for Mess, Ft. Thomas, Ky	One of the Many Buildings  at the Fort	Volleyball at the Fort	At Entrance of Y.M.C.A. Building, Ft. Thomas, Ky

 

Marching Band at the Fort	Fort Thomas Band, c. WWI	29th Co. Band February 21, 1918

 

Off for the Philippines, Bands		Band, shipping out to the Philippines	Off for the Philippines

 

	Mark Black posted these clippings from 1940, from the Times-Star, on Facebook, showing Fort Thomas troops heading south (and later coming home) for war games that would come to be known as the Louisiana Maneuvers (Wikipedia) and involved over 350,00 troops, preparing, in the event the US became involved in the what would be WWII.

 

September, 1918		On The Hop	Getting Ready for Chow

 

circa  1910

 

 

The Troops at Fort Thomas	Standing in line, at Fort Thomas	Signal Practice

Fort soldiers raid a ragtime joint on the midway in 1905, here.

c. 1914	The Guard Mount, 1898	Fort Thomas Soldiers, 1917

The 29th Reg. Co Band,  in Fort Thomas on February 21, 1918	5% of the world's population died in the Flu Epidemic of 1918, (Wikipedia) which is why these guys are wearing masks. The Fort was quarantined for the period. This is October 28, 1918.	Laundry, July, 1918

 

Guard Mount drilling at Fort Thomas
Thanks to Charles Bogart for this one.

 

Troops training for war with Mexico	Drill Grounds	South View of Barracks

 

African-American Troops at

 

There was thinking among some parts of the army that African Americans would have more disease resistance in fighting a war Cuba, and should be used in lieu of Caucasian troops.  They came to be known as “The Immunes.”  It was of course not true. There's lots more on Google. If you have an interest, we suggest this site.

Company E, Second Regiment, August 1, 1916

Fort Thomas, Kentucky, 1937

Represented to us as “Company G of the 1st Kentucky National Regiment in training at Fort Thomas. 1916.” We note that the building in the back center of the image doesn't look like Fort Thomas to us.

 

Fort Thomas Soldiers, 1912	Guard Mount	Soldiers at Fort Thomas

 

Target Practice, Fort Thomas	The Barracks, 1907	U.S. Regulars at Fort Thomas	The 6th Regiment, Heroes of San Juan Hill, before Leaving Fort Thomas, 1898

 

“Orders were issued at the War Department today directing Maj. Dana Palmer and Lieut. Norman McNeil to go to Newport, Ky., for temporary duty in obtaining enlisted men for duty in Siberia. Both officers will leave San Francisco August 15th. ”   July 15, 1919 Louisville Courier Journal

“Residents of Fort Thomas were startled Tuesday when a sentry, Private Taylor, pursuing another soldier, a prisoner, who was trying to escape, fired two shots at him, one taking effect and fatally wounding him in the groin.  No information as to the identity of the prisoner was given; the authorities at the post refused to make any statement concerning the matter.” Courier Journal February 19, 1919

“The Highland police have been ordered to arrest all women who appear at Ft. Thomas after dusk without escorts. Many complaints have been made in the past few days of the behavior of women who visit the fort. These complaints were renewed Monday evening and led to the new order.” from the Kentucky Post, July, 1898

Moving of US Soldiers from  Fort Thomas,  at the depot down the hill in Brent	Outgoing Detachment, Fort Thomas	Troops at Fort Thomas, Passing Time

 

Kentucky State Troops  Entering Ft. Thomas	Kentucky State Troops  Entering Ft. Thomas, 1917	Kentucky Troops in Line for Rations	Preparing Meals, Kentucky State Troops

   

Kentucky State Troops Entering Ft. Thomas, 1917	Regiment of Kentucky State Troops, stacking Arms	Soldier on Guard, Fort Thomas

 

“To Mr. Richard Eberenz, 310 W. 2nd Street B,  Dayton, Ohio, %Mrs. Paul
Hello Dick. This life is allright in a way, but I say you are lucky to have kept out. Suppose you and Boots are taking good
care of all the girls. Will write you when I move to my permanent post. Be Good. Lee (Newport, 11-12-17)”

 

Soldiers Entering the Fort, 1917	Citizens Military Training, 1933	1940

This collection of eight purportedly Fort Thomas images is c. WWII. We have doubts. We've seen the same shots labeled as being at other induction centers. We are, however, confident that they represent scenes that were very well taking place in Fort Thomas.

Over 250,000 soldiers and airmen passed through Fort Thomas Reception Center between November, 1940 and June, 1944.