Rep. 0. C. Fisher, Dist. 21

Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TEXAS COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Crockett INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries — complete applicable sections)

1. NAME COMMON: Fort Lancaster

AND/OR HISTORIC:

2. LOCATION STREET AND NUMBER; 10 miles east of Sheffield on Highway 290 CITY OR TOWN: Sheffield COUNTY: _Tex^ 79781 048 Crockett 3. CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE 1/1 OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC

• District • Building S Public Public Acquisition; I I Occupied Yes: S Restricted 25 Site • Structure • Private I I In Process XI Unoccupied • Unrestricted • Object • Both I I Being Considered • Preservation work in progress • No

PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) { 1 Agricultural [ I Government • Park I 1 Commercial I I Industrial I I Privote Residence I I Educational • Military I I Religious I I Entertainment [XI Museum Scientific

[4. OWNER OF PROPERTY OWNER'S N AME: state of Texas; Parks and Wildlife Departm STREET AND NUMBER: UJ John H. Reagan State Office Building CITY OR TOWN: Austin Taxas 5. LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION CO\jr 'K , REGISTRY OF OFFD" -r . Crockett County Courthouse

STREET AND NUMBER:

CI TY OR TOWN:

Ozona Texas 048 [6. REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF suRVEY:-rexas Historic Forts Architectural Research, Part III; Fort Lancaster DATE OF SURVEY: 1968 • Federal XI State • County • Locol o DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Z Texas State Hjstor-inal .Snr-vf^y Coinmittee STREET AND NUMBER O 108 W. 15th Street Z CITY OR TOWN: Austin Texas 048 (See continuation sheet #l) 17. DESCRIPTION (Check One) • Excellent • Good • Fair • Deteriorated S Ruins • Unexposed CONDITION (•Check One; fChec* OneJ n Altered Unaltered n Moved J5 Original Site

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Fort Lancaster is located in the Pecos River Valley in Crockett County. It stands in ruins on the east side of Live Oak Creek approximately one-half mile north of the junction of Live Oak Creek with the Pecos River — the country is predominated by hills, cliffs and ravines. Phy^sical remains of the fort today consist of the ruins of 29 buildings, a lime kiln, a cemetery and several trash dumps. Of these standing remains all are stone and/or adobe. In many cases only the foundations show, although a chimney and several walls (as high as six to ten feet) still remain. Vegetation at the fort site is made up of creosote, mesquite, yucca and cactus; live oak, hackberry and cottonwood trees grow along the stream banks. The site, now state property, is currently being devel­ oped; a museum has recently been built and will open soon. Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TEXAS NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUNTY INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM Crockett FOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Continuation Sheet) miV (Number all entries) 6. (cont d)

Texas State Historical Survey 1966 State Texas State Historical Survey Committee 108 W. 15th Street Austin, Texas 048 (6. SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD fchec* One or More as Appropriate) • Pre-Columbian I • 16th Century • 18 th Century • 20th Century • 15th Century • 17th Century S 19''' Century

SPECIFIC DATEIS) (If Applicable and Known) ibbb-lbbU

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

Abor iginol I I Education • Political [ 1 Urban Plarming I I Prehistoric 3 Engineering • Religion/Phi­ • Other fSpecifyJ r~l Historic [ I Industry losophy I I Agriculture I I Invention I I Science [ I Architecture I 1 Landscape ^ Sculpture • Art Architecture t I Socio l/Human- ( I Commerce I I Literature itorion I I Communications 1^ Military • Theoter { I Conservation • Music 1 X Transportafion

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Fort Lancaster, one in a series of forts erected along the western Texas frontier as the settlement line expanded, had as its primary function the protection of settlers and travelers going between Texas and California. Its location in the Pecos River Valley was strategically placed at the Pecos crossing on the old military road between San Antonio and El Paso — Yhe Lower Road used by the stage. When it was initially constructed and occupied in August, 1855, the first buildings were crude, makeshift portable shelters. These less substantial buildings were soon to give way to more substantial ones though, so that by 186Q, the peak of the fort's existence, most of the buildings were made of stone and/or adobe. Ruins of 29 buildings can be identified at the fort today; the most prominent being a chimney of a soldier's barrack. Until 1861 Lancaster was a Federal post, then it was abandoned with the secession of Texas from the Union at the onset of the Civil War. For a brief time (December,1861 through April, 1862) it served as a Confederate garrison, but was soon abandoned for the duration of the war. In 1871, during the Kiowa-Comanche uprising, the fort was reactivated as a sub-post by the federal government; shortly thereafter, in 1873 or 1874 after the Indian trouble had subsided, the fort was completely abandoned.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966. 9. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Graham, Roy. Texas Historic Forts Architectural Research, Part III; Fort Lancaster. Report submitted to the Parks and Wildlife Department of the State of Texas by the School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin. 1968.

Hart, Herbert M. Old Forts of the Southwest. Superior Publish­ ing Co., Seattle. 1966. (See continuation sheet #2) GEOGRAPHICAL DATA LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY ^ -< OF LESS THAN TFN ACRES 0 0 CORNER LATITUDE LONGI TUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Decrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW 30= 40. 08" 101 a 41 • 56 " o > • NE 30° 40- 08" 101 " 41 • 36 " "A SE SW ^8° It IV-m: i\ il '• APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 39 aCreS LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING S COUNTTV:^ ^ -Si COUNT. —M ^-^^ m

COUNW on

COUN TY

1

11. FORM PREPARED BY NAME AND TiTLE:^ayne Bc 11, Project Dlrector Jlaxi •sha Jackson,—Research Associate ORGANl ZATION Texas State Historical Survey Committee I 2-1-71 STREET AND NUMBER: o ^ 108 W. 15th Street CITY OR TOWN: Austin Texas 048 12. STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFICA I ION NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na­ I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law National Register. 89-655), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended level of significj^e of this nomination National

Name _ TiEytt Latiir

Title State Liaison Officer Keeper of Ttie National Register

Bate February 9, 1971 Date 22 1971 Form 10-300a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TEXAS NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Crockett INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NFS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER DATE (Continuation Sheet) ^2

(Numbmr all entrlea) 9. Cont d

Hays, T. R. and Edward B. Jelks. Archeological Exploration at Fort Lancaster, 1966. State Building Commission, Archeologi­ cal Program, Report No. 4. 1966.

Webb, Walter P., ed. The Handbook of Texas. The University of Texas Press, Austin. 1952.

National Park Service. Soldier and Brave; Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings. Government Printing Office, 1963.

Texas State Historical Survey Committee, marker files. / / y

^ u-m^'JiJ. Jr^ ttt^:d^-'-:i t^l^rtCr xLf At^'^t^u:^, t^-

'Form 10-301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE {July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TEXAS NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES COUN TY Crockett PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NFS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries - attach to or enclose with map) DATE on Z |l. NAME o Fort Lancaster AND/OR HISTORIC: I- |2. LOCATION STREET AND NUM BER: u 10 miles east of Sheffield on Highway 290 =) CITY OR TOWN: r Q: Sheffield h- COUNTY: CODE uo Texas Crockett n55~ 3. MAP REFERENCE Z United States Department of the Interior Geologi UJ 1:24000 1966. 1967 4. REQUIREMENTS

TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. Property broundaries where required. Texas Map Rafer 2. North arrow. 3. Latitude and longitude reference. # 3C01-313

WAR ^ 1 1971

Hon. Lloyd B«ntMO Unlt«d St«t«« S«nji«« Mashiagton^ U. C.

0«ar S«iuit

th* anolosora hava baen noalnatad by tha Stata Lialaon Officar appolntad

by tha Govamor for tha laiplMMmtatlon of tha tiatloaal Hlatorle Prasar-

ration Progran la Taxaa and hava baan antarad Into tha Natloaal Raqlstar

o of Historic Plaoaa. Sanator John G. Towar and tha approprlata Raprasan-

tatlvas hava alao baan provldad with this InfonatlMi. By copy of this

lattar, the Stata Lladson officer, itr. Truett Latimer, Executive Dlractor, Texas State Historical Survey Oomlttee, Post Office Box 12276,

Capitol St4tl

> leaflet explaining the Matioaal Meglstar le eaalosed. •H Sincerely yours,

9 H « CSigned! h »4 0< a 3 J5 « -ti Director

(D Eneloaures a • . 3 C C WAR 111971 0 0 0 Entered In the Natloixal Register a X B CC: Mr. Truett Latimer, Executive Director, Texas State Historical Survey CoRBnittee, Post Office Box 12276, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711 •H g Also notified: United States Senate House of Representatives Hon. John G. Tower Hon. O. C. Fisher Hon. Abraheua Kazen, Jr. Hon. W. R. Poage Hon. J. J. Pickle Hon. Graham Purcell Preyerties added to the Metloaal Aeglster of Historic Places

TSXAS Crockett County, Texas County Oourthou!) Lavaca Cooaty, Texas Barle-tiapler-Klaaard WHiwMiss Ce«art;y, Texas Atarahaa Wiley 1111 Boese Bastroo County, Texae Deoater Baptist College Kise Ooenty, Texas Frederloksborg Mesorlal Library Cllleeple Cooaty., Texas Fey SteadMa Site Plsher Coenty, Texas Gonsales County, Texas Fort Griffla Shackelford County, Texas Planters Beak Balldlng Harlan Coimty, Tease MAR 11 1971

1130-HR

Mr. Truett Latlner Executive Director Texas State Historical Survey CoRmilttee Post office Box 12276 Capitol Station Austin, Texas 78711

Dear Mr. Latlaeri

We are pleased to Inform you that the historic properties listed on

the enclosure have been placed on the Hatlonal Register of Historic

Places. Senators Lloyd Bentsen and John G. Tower and the appropriate

Representatives are being informed. A leaflet explaining the National

Register Is enclosed for each of the property owners. Please withhold

any publicity on this until you have received a carbon copy of the

Congressional correspondence.

Sincerely yours,

Signed;

Director Enclosures Entered in the National Register MAR 1 1 1971

J cc: f HR 3/4/71 SMarusin:naf BASIC FILE RETAINED IN HR Properties added to the National Register of Historic Places

TEXAS

[ Fort Lancaster Crockett County, Texas Lavaca County Courthouse Lavaca County, Texas Earle-Napler^Klnnard House McLennan County, Texas Abraham Wiley Hill House Bastrop County, Texas Decatur Baptist College Wise County, Texas Fredericksburg Memorial Library Gillespie County, Texas Foy Steadman Site Fisher County, Texas Braches Home Gonsales Coxinty, Texas Fort Griffin Shackelford County, Texas Planters Bank Building Marlon County, Texas