JOLON — Built to weather any storm, the Tin Barn at Fort Hunter Liggett (FHL) held its post for decades before completing its final mission in November.
The structure was disassembled on Nov. 17 as part of the installation’s ongoing effort to modernize and support long-term mission readiness.
Despite its basic structural appearance, the barn’s journey began long before the U.S. Army claimed ownership. Originally linked to the James Brown Cattle Company and, according to installation historical records, purchased as salvage from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, the barn later became part of ranchland owned by magazine Mogul William Randolph Hearst in the 1940s.
Over the years, it held various roles and became a familiar landmark to generations of FHL soldiers, employees and community members. Long-time staff remember the barn for its practical use, reminiscing on the days it served as a hot spot for events and social gatherings, and how its presence tied into some of their best years working at FHL.
Integrated Training Area Management Coordinator Art Hazebrook, who’s been at FHL since 1995, reminisced, “Some of my best memories are tied to that structure, especially the gatherings we used to hold in the old fire engine bays on the west side. It really was a good time to be working here, and the barn was the center of it all.”
Those memories are shared by the installation’s firefighters, who called the barn home for years.
“The Tin Barn supported our mission for decades, from 1990-2020,” said Assistant Chief Michael Callahan. “It served as our station, dispatch center and response point for the community. Many of us spent years of our careers there, and it was a home away from home that holds a lot of good memories for our families.”
Before becoming part of the installation, the Tin Barn lived an entirely different life. According to historical records, the barn was constructed in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. It was later purchased as salvage and moved to Milpitas Ranch in 1919 to support cattle operations, when Hearst took over much of the surrounding ranchland in the mid-1920s, to include the barn.
When the U.S. War Department acquired the property in 1940, the barn adapted once again, this time in support of soldiers. Over the next several decades, the structure served as a post exchange, theater, snack bar, clothing store, barber shop, laundry, library and even a gymnasium before eventually being integrated into the fire station complex in the 1970s and later becoming home to the FHL Fire Department in the 1990s. Its purpose changed many times, but it remained a useful part of everyday life on the installation.
Like many older facilities across the Army, the barn had reached the end of its service life. Modern missions require updated infrastructure, and the space it once occupied will now support future improvements aligned with FHL’s long-term plans.
“The area formally occupied by the Tin Barn will continue to serve the garrison community and Army mission,” said Garrison Commander Col. Jason McKenzie. “The expanse of the space is ideal for large-scale events hosted by the historic Hacienda, providing continuity of the Hearst legacy for decades to come.”
As the Army invests in new infrastructure, FHL continues to evolve in ways that strengthen training and readiness for the future. The Tin Barn may be gone, but the mission moves forward, supported by decades of dedicated workers and the facilities that helped them do their jobs.
