Box's Fort
Alto, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John M. and Sally Box, along with John's brother Stephen F. and his wife Keziah Box and their families, came to Texas from Alabama in 1834. John and Sally's son, Roland W. Box, and his wife Mary Hallmark Box purchased 1/3 of the Stephen Burnham land grant and built a log fort on a hill near its northern boundary. Within the enclosure they built a log house and a dugout, and Box's Fort became the center of a settlement as the extended Box families made their own homes in and near the fort. John A., Stillwell, Thomas G., and Nelson Box and their cousins Samuel C. and James E. Box fought in the Texas revolution. The home of John A. and Letty T. Box was a post office called Box's Creek from 1851 to 1866. Over time, several churches and stores operated in the vicinity, but by 1900 Box's Fort no longer appeared on area maps. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Box families came from Alabama to Texas in 1834, and Roland W. Box and his wife Mary built a log fort on a hill on part of the Stephen Burnham grant, enclosing a house and dugout. Box's Fort became the nucleus of a settlement as the extended family raised homes nearby, and Box men fought in the Texas Revolution of 1836. A post office called Box's Creek operated from 1851 to 1866, but by 1900 the fort had vanished from area maps.
Why it matters
The fort tells the story of frontier defense and kinship-based settlement in the anxious years of Texas independence, when a fortified homestead could be the seed of a whole community.
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Related people
- · John M. Box
- · Roland W. Box
- · Mary Hallmark Box
Related events
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
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