Fort Lancaster

Fort Lancaster is a former United States Army installation located near Sheffield, Texas. The fort was established in 1855 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road to protect migrants moving toward California through Texas. The US Army occupied Fort Lancaster until Texas seceded from the United States in March 1861 and were replaced at the fort by forces loyal to the Confederate States of America. The Confederate Army held the fort from November 1861 until April 1862, when it was again abandoned and then burned.

Fort Lancaster
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Texas State Historic Site
Texas State Antiquities Landmark
Illustration of Fort Lancaster in Harper's Weekly, 1861
Fort Lancaster
Fort Lancaster
LocationCrockett County, Texas
Nearest citySheffield, Texas
Coordinates30°39′58″N 101°41′46″W
Area39 acres (16 ha)
Built1855 (1855)
NRHP reference No.71000928
TSAL No.8200000190
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 11, 1971
Designated TSHSApril 16, 1968
Designated TSALFebruary 22, 1983

The 82-acre site, now operated by the Texas Historical Commission as Fort Lancaster State Historic Site, contains the ruins of 29 buildings that made up the fort and a visitor center with a museum.

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