Greg Garrett’s office is downtown but it’s not in a renovated historic structure or one of the new high-rise bank buildings.
It’s in a barn.
The picturesque Hill Country Barn is in a corner of the Back 40, the outside education area of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures.
The rust-painted structure is one of the frontier buildings, along with the Dog-Trot Log House, Adobe House, Frontier Fort headquarters and One-Room Schoolhouse.
For many years, the area was reserved for living history tours for schools. The rustic setting has been Garrett’s place of operations since summer 2019, when ITC approved his move and decided to make the area accessible to all visitors.
Garrett, an education specialist for the institute, said his goal in using the outdoor setting as an office is to help visitors understand what life was like on the rugged Texas frontier.
“We just want to try (to) develop an environment where it’s as close to the reality of what those people at the time were experiencing,” Garrett said. “At least they can see what the environment would have been like.”
For Spring Break, the area will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p .m., Monday through Friday, to offer children and families a hands-on experience at the outdoor learning area.
The One Room Schoolhouse and Hill Country Barn are open daily. On Tuesday, visitors can take part in chores at the log cabin: washing clothing, working in the garden, sweeping the dirt floor and churning butter.
They can grind corn at the Adobe House on Wednesday — and grind herbs in a molcajete or mortar. On Thursday, guests can get a glimpse of military life at the fort and try their hand at folding a flag, tying a knot or making a map.
All of the Back 40 buildings are open Friday.
After the chores, guests can take part in frontier games that include sack races, tossing washers and marbles.
Garrett said settling his office in the area allows him to see growth every day.
There’s the sight of a tomato ripening on a vine. He knows spring is near when the mustang grape vine begins to bud. He knows Pearl the Squirrel is getting ready for her offspring when she scurries to the windmill cistern bearing oak boughs to build a nest.
And there are sightings of Abalon, the resident red-tailed hawk, as well as white wing doves and loggerhead shrikes.
Garrett has shared with visitors his knowledge of the history of baseball, noting that passion for the sport reached across class and racial lines in San Antonio and the surrounding region.
In his role as caretaker, Garrett has been another set of eyes for the area.
Last spring, he helped police arrest two men who had stolen items from the frontier fort.
ITC spokesman James Benavides said the work of Garrett and several volunteers has helped to create an immersive experience for visitors.
“Greg’s efforts have expanded visitor access to the area,” Benavides said. “And people have braved both 100-degree days and 30-degree days to spend some time in our 1800s setting.”
Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis
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