8.6 Miles South to Fort Phantom Hill
Anson vicinity, Jones County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established November 14, 1851 by the United States Army as a protection of the settlers against the Indians. Abandoned and burned April 6, 1854. Repaired and used by Southern Overland Mail, 1858-1861, sub-post of Fort Griffin, 1871-1872, temporary county seat of Jones County in 1881.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established by the U.S. Army in 1851, Fort Phantom Hill was one of a chain of frontier posts meant to shield settlers pushing into West Texas. Its regular garrison lasted only until 1854, when the fort was abandoned and burned, but the site kept serving the frontier—as a stop on the Southern Overland Mail, a sub-post of Fort Griffin, and even a temporary county seat.
Why it matters
The fort embodies the shifting, improvised nature of frontier defense and communication in antebellum West Texas, where a single site could be army post, mail station, and courthouse in turn.
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Related events
- · Southern Overland Mail
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Site of Camp Cooper
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Established in January 1856 by Major W. J. Hardee's 2nd U.S. Cavalry, Camp Cooper guarded the Texas frontier against the Comanche and oversaw a nearby Indian reservation. Robert E. Lee commanded here for nineteen months before the Civil War, and the post launched the 1859 Cimarron Expedition. Texas troops seized it in February 1861 as the state left the Union.
The Mackenzie Trail
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Near Site of Indian Battle
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