In 1843 and later, four new barracks were constructed at Fort Towson to house one hundred men each, with two on each side of the parade ground. The lower story was a stone basement containing a mess hall, kitchen, and pantry, and two stone fireplaces were used for cooking below and for heat in the rooms above. The upper story was built of logs and contained a large room for the men and a smaller room at one end for a noncommissioned officer, and the logs were covered with clapboards painted light blue. Fort Towson's soldiers established and maintained a military presence to keep peace on the frontier, patrolling along the Red River and the international border first with Mexico and then Texas, building and maintaining a road network connecting Towson with Fort Smith in Arkansas, Fort Washita in Indian Territory, and Fort Jessup in Louisiana, and protecting the Chickasaw and Choctaw after their removal to Indian Territory.