From Civil War Encampment to Cultural Center: Plans Unveiled for Historic East Mountain Stone House

TIJERAS — The East Mountain Historical Society (EMHS) will host a public unveiling this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. to reveal the architectural master plan for the adaptive reuse of the historic Campo/Sanchez Stone House.

The free event, open to all community members, will take place at the Tijeras Village Hall at 12 Camino Municipal. Project architects will be on hand to detail how the century-old structure will be transformed into a multi-use cultural hub, featuring a welcome center for the Turquoise Trail, an educational center for the Tijeras Creek Cultural Corridor, and a permanent home for the historical society’s archives.

Located just twenty minutes east of Albuquerque on North Highway 14, the stone house property sits on land with a documented history stretching back to the 1820s, adjacent to a prehistoric Pueblo occupied as early as the 1300s. The site was settled as part of the Cañón de Carnué Land Grant, and remnants of an 1820 defensive wall featuring musket apertures were still visible on the property into the early 20th century.

The structure itself dates back to the late 1880s, when Italian immigrant Carlos Campo purchased the parcel from the heirs of original land grant allottee Juan Zamora. Campo operated a popular local store, saloon, and dance hall on the property. In 1907, the store housed a short-lived post office named “Kemp” (a variation of Campo), which eventually relocated and became the namesake for the modern community of Cedar Crest.

Following the Campo era, newlyweds Flaviano Sanchez and Dulcinea Armenta purchased the property in 1930, converting the store into a family home while continuing to host community events in the dance hall until it was destroyed by an automobile accident in 1945. The home sat vacant for nearly two decades following Dulcinea’s death in 2003.

The building’s path to preservation began in 2022 when Charles Jackson, a descendant of Carlos Campo, spotted a “for sale” sign on his grandmother’s former home during a Sunday drive. Jackson and his wife, Shelly, subsequently purchased and donated the property to the EMHS in 2023.

EMHS officials view the upcoming restoration as both a win for historic preservation and a sustainable alternative to new construction. Society representatives note that the completed visitors center is expected to unite the community, protect local ecosystems by recycling the existing structure, and boost the local economy by drawing heritage tourism to the area.

Ample free parking will be available at Saturday’s event.