Fort McKavett- Texas Ghost Town

FORT MCKAVETT

NAME: Fort McKavett
COUNTY: Schleicher
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 2
CLIMATE: Warm winter, hot summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:Winter, spring, fall

COMMENTS: The fort is a historical site but the town is no more.
REMAINS: Ruins of the fort.

The military post of Fort McKavett was named after a Captain Henry McKavett who had been killed in the Mexican War of 1846. The fort was located on a high hill on the south bank of the San Saba River. There is a peculiar twist to the history of both the town of Fort McKavett and the military post of Fort McKavett. Actually, the fort died so the town might live and in turn the town died that the fort might live in the historical sense. The fort was built in 1852 and had the reputation of being one of the most attractive and healthiest on the Texas frontier. In 1859, the fort was abandoned and fell into disrepair until 1868 when it was again occupied by federal troops as part of a series of forts from the Red River to the Rio Grande protecting the frontier. By 1883, the need for the fort had disappeared and the army formally abandoned it. During the existence of the fort, the town of Fort McKavett was gradually growing as a ranching community with some families living and working in former military buildings. By the 1960s, the town was still a living community with around a hundred residents. In 1967, the state of Texas purchased the surviving buildings and created The Fort McKavett State Historical Site that it might be preserved for the future. The town no longer exists but the fort appears much as it did over a hundred years ago. SUBMITTED BY: Henry Chenoweth	Ft Mckavett Courtesy Bobbye and Speedy Drake Ft Mckavett Courtesy Bobbye and Speedy Drake Ft Mckavett Courtesy Bobbye and Speedy Drake Ft Mckavett Courtesy Bobbye and Speedy Drake

The military post of Fort McKavett was named after a Captain Henry McKavett who had been killed in the Mexican War of 1846. The fort was located on a high hill on the south bank of the San Saba River. There is a peculiar twist to the history of both the town of Fort McKavett and the military post of Fort McKavett. Actually, the fort died so the town might live and in turn the town died that the fort might live in the historical sense. The fort was built in 1852 and had the reputation of being one of the most attractive and healthiest on the Texas frontier. In 1859, the fort was abandoned and fell into disrepair until 1868 when it was again occupied by federal troops as part of a series of forts from the Red River to the Rio Grande protecting the frontier. By 1883, the need for the fort had disappeared and the army formally abandoned it. During the existence of the fort, the town of Fort McKavett was gradually growing as a ranching community with some families living and working in former military buildings. By the 1960s, the town was still a living community with around a hundred residents. In 1967, the state of Texas purchased the surviving buildings and created The Fort McKavett State Historical Site that it might be preserved for the future. The town no longer exists but the fort appears much as it did over a hundred years ago. SUBMITTED BY: Henry Chenoweth

Ft Mckavett
Courtesy Bobbye and Speedy Drake

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