Wood Barracks

History

Colonel Snelling lamented that he wanted to build all the fort's structures of stone, as it was better and cheaper, but he had more carpenters than masons in the ranks. The Wood Barracks, built prior to 1822 and intended to house three companies of soldiers, was one of the results. The original structure was of post and sill type construction, using hand-hewn logs, and was then covered in clapboards. Within 20 years, the building was in such poor condition that it was replaced in stone. The Officers' Quarters, the barracks' near-mirror image across the parade ground, was likewise replaced in stone in the mid-1840s.

Reconstruction

In reconstructing the Wood Barracks, the Minnesota Historical Society decided to return the building to its earliest external appearance.  The exterior of the barracks is white clapboard.  Porches were added to the original structure by 1839, and these were reconstructed in 2006-07. After a multi-year rennovation project was completed in 2010, the Wood Barracks now houses handicapped-accessible restrooms, interpretive program spaces, classrooms and multi-media spaces for educational programs as well as facilities for the site's staff.