Fort Thomas (Campbell County, Kentucky)

Campbell County · Kentucky · Spanish-American War

Quick BriefEstablished by Congress in 1887 and designated Fort Thomas in 1890, this military post was constructed on 111 acres at a cost of $3.5 million on a bluff above the Ohio River in Campbell County. The 6th Infantry Regiment moved to Fort Thomas and departed in June 1898 for service in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Military activities continued until the fort closed in 1964.

Coastal defense

History & Significance

When the Newport Barracks flooded repeatedly in the early 1880s, General Philip Sheridan personally selected higher ground in Campbell County for a new post, which he called the Highlands and predicted would become the "West Point of the West." The post was designated Fort Thomas in 1890 and named for noted Civil War Union General George Henry Thomas.

On August 15, 1890, two companies of the 6th Infantry Regiment arrived under Colonel Melville Cochran. The 6th Infantry departed in June 1898 for the Spanish-American War, and the 8th Volunteer Infantry—known as the "8th Immunes" and composed of African American soldiers—was stationed at Fort Thomas.

During the Spanish-American War, the 6th Infantry left for service in Cuba, with twenty-eight officers and men killed. Fort Thomas served as a depot, induction center, and military hospital; most garrison activities transferred to the Veterans Administration in 1946, though military operations continued until 1964. The iconic 102-foot limestone water tower, built in 1890 at a cost of $10,995, remains a landmark at Tower Park.