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  Texas : Towns A-Z / West Texas : Fort Davis

FORT DAVIS, TEXAS

Film Location of Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 (1996)
Jeff Davis County seat, West Texas
Hwys 17 & 118
36 miles S of I-10
21 miles N of Marfa
26 miles N of Alpine

Population: 1,050 (2000)

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Fort Davis historic photo
Ft. Davis and its Buildings c. 1950

Photo Courtesy TXDoT
History in a Pecan Shell

The county, town and fort were all named after Jefferson Davis, although the county had originally been Presidio County. Fort Davis was named prior to Davis' term as President of the Confederate States. As U.S. Secretary of War - Davis signed the order establishing the facility and was thus honored.

Originally the site of the fort was an Indian camp. A stage stop was set up in 1850 for the mail route between San Antonio and El Paso with a man named Diedrick Dutchover in charge. The Fort was formed in 1854 to billet the troops needed to patrol and protect the area from Apaches.

During the Civil War, the Confederate Army left Diedrick in charge of the fort, but he and his party were attacked by Apaches.and forced to abandon the place. In 1867, The Ninth U.S. Cavalry reoccupied the fort and the town experienced new growth as an important West Texas crossroads.

Ft. Davis had only 500 people in 1894, but the population remained between 700-1,200 for decades. Various plans to develop Ft. Davis as a tourist destination have failed over the years - not because they were bad ideas - but because of the deaths of the would-be developers. One such plan was instrumental in getting approval of Ft. Davis as a National Historic Site in 1961.

Jeff Davis County Courthouse
Fort Davis, Texas - Jeff Davis County  jail
Jeff Davis County Jail. Built at the same time as the courthouse (1910.) No historical marker. Photo Courtesy Terry Jeanson, Dec. 2005

Fort Davis attractions include:

  • Overland Trail Museum : Former home of Nick Mersfelter, Barber, Justice of the Peace and versatile musician. Many historical relics of early life in the area.
  • Fort Davis National Historic Site: Est. in 1854 - deactivated in 1891. This was the main Fort that garrisoned troops that patrolled the border from El Paso to San Antonio. The post was abandoned during the Civil War and re-occupied by troops of the 9th Cavalry. Museum. Open 9 to 5 daily except for major holidays.
  • Davis Mountains State Park: 6 miles west of Ft. Davis on Park Road 3 off Hwy 118. 1,800 acres.
  • Chihuahuan Desert Visitor Center: A must-see for the visiting naturalist. On Hwy 118, 3.5 miles south of Ft. Davis. 915-364-2499.
  • The McDonald Observatory: Nearby, on top of Mount Locke (Altitude 6,800 ft.) - 16 miles NW of Fort Davis. Managed and owned by the University of Texas. At the bottom of the mountain. Visitor's Center open daily 9 to 5. 1-877-984-7827.

    The Chamber of Commerce: 432-426-3015
    Website: www.fortdavis.com
  • Jeff Davis County Towns and Ghost Towns

    County Seat - Fort Davis
  • Chispa
  • Valentine

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  • First Presbyterian Church, Fort Davis, Texas
    First Presbyterian Church in Fort Davis
    Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, 2005
    Fort Davis masonic lodge

    Fort Davis Masonic Lodge

    TE photo
    Overland Trail Museum, Fort Davis, Texas

    Overland Trail Museum

    TE photo, 2000

    pioneer reenactor
    Catilyn Bailey

    Courtesy Mr. and Mrs. Bailey
    © 1996 Kermit Lancaster
    Caitlyn Bailey was a pioneer reenactor at the Fort. She and her brother Kyle (not pictured) would remind visitors that there were children out west too. The photo was taken in 1996 by Kermit Lancaster who added that "….Caitlyn was a wonderful addition to our visit to Fort Davis. My own daughters were 10 and 6 at the time. Caitlyn showed them how to wash clothes "pioneer-style" in a washtub with lye soap and hang them out to dry. It was great fun for the girls to perform that menial chore... once!"

    Fort Davis Texas abandoned homestead
    An abandoned homestead near Ft. Davis

    Photo Courtesy Patrick Cantrell
    Fort Davis Texas Forum
  • Subject: Naming Jeff Davis County
    Dear TE, Just a note to correct a misstatement by one of your correspondents on the Ft. Davis page. C. F. Eckhardt wrote on June 3, 2006, that Texas has the only county in the country named after the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. This is actually an error. *There is a Jeff Davis County in Georgia (where else?!); the town of Hazelhurst is the county seat (it's in Southeast Georgia).

    I ran across Texas Escapes more or less by chance (I was searching for the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering website at the time), and I immediately bookmarked your production. It is a wonderful resource for those who are interested in Texas, its people, its geography, and its history. I am not a Texas native, but two of our four daughters are--and they are quite proud of that fact. My wife and I spent three quite enjoyable years in Austin while I earned my Ph.D. in English at the University of Texas ("Hook 'Em, Horns!"). I look back on my days in Texas as among the best three years of my life. (I'm now a retired college English professor.)

    Thank your for the effort you have put into making Texas Escapes such a good [magazine]. - Cordially, Rick Thurman, (Dr. William R. Thurman, Jr.),Thomaston, Georgia, August 28, 2007

  • Subject: Naming Jeff Davis County
    Fort Davis, the military post, was originally named for then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, who expanded the army & for the first time started calling Regular Army horse soldiers cavalry. Up to then they'd been dragoons & mounted rifles. After the War Between the States, when the US Army reoccupied Fort Davis, it was announced that the post would no longer be Fort Jefferson Davis, but Fort Edmund J. Davis. E. J. Davis, the reconstruction governor, was probably the single most hated man in Texas at the time. Therefore, when the county was split off from Presidio County, the people voted to name it 'Jeff Davis County,' restoring the name of the original fort. As a result, Texas has the only county in the country named for the Confederate President*--and the only county in the world named for Ireland's patron saint--San Patricio. - C. F. Eckhardt, June 03, 2006


  • Turnstiles on Court House Grounds
    Around 1993 when I had taken a group to the Big Bend and we stayed at the Prue Ranch, I asked one of the local citizens about the turnstiles on the Jeff Davis Court House grounds. She informed me that they were placed there to keep the burros out. Originally, trade between the US and Mexico was conducted by traders using the burros as pack animals to carry the trade goods. When the burros were replaced by wagons, the traders let the burros run loose. The burros made the court house grounds part of their home. They became such a nuisance that the locals built the fence and the four turnstiles around the court house to keep them out. - John Gibbs, March 25, 2006

  • Subject: The McDonald Observatory
    There is one telescope here that’s owned by 5 universities, but not the whole complex. Everything here is managed and owned by the Univ. of Texas. Also, if anyone wants more information about the new Visitors Center here, they can check our website at http://McDonaldObservatory.org or call our toll free information line at 1-877-984-7827. Enjoyed your site! Thanks. - Mark Cash, Public Affairs Specialist, U.T. McDonald Observatory, September 28, 2002
  • Old photo of gas station in Davis Mountains



    Do you know where this gas station in the Davis Mountains was?

    Photo courtesy Nancy McVickar
  • Do you know where this gas station in the Davis Mountains was?
    My Grandparents owned a gas station at Davis Mt., Texas (see photo). Would you or any of your readers know the address of this station? I doubt it is still standing. The photo which was in my grandmother's photo album belongs to my cousin who was planning a trip out that way in mid-September and doesn't recall the address or the highway. She spent some time with our grandparents there when she was a little girl when they were running the station. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you. - Alysia (Meyers) Hargus, August 26, 2004
  • Anyone wishing to share history or photos of Fort Davis, Texas, please contact us.

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    Fort Davis is film location of Dancer, Texas Pop. 81
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    This page last modified: November 30, 2007