Established in 1849, Fort Duncan in Maverick County, Texas, was named in honor of Mexican War hero James Duncan. The fort protected the area’s trade with Mexico against attacks by Native Americans. The U.S. Army abandoned Fort Duncan in 1861. For the duration of the Civil War, the Confederate Texas government stationed the Frontier Regiment at the fort. The U.S. Army reoccupied Fort Duncan from 1868 to 1883, when the government failed to acquire the land. However, the government purchased the land in 1894, and Fort Duncan remained in operation until 1933. The city of Eagle Pass maintained the fort as a public park until World War II, when it became an officers’ club for the U.S. Army. In 1971, Fort Duncan earned a place in the National Register of Historic Places and subsequently became a museum.
Source:
Fort Duncan. Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed December 2, 2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbf17 .
From the guide to the Fort Duncan Records, 1857-1861, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)
