FAQs

No, effective January 1, 2008, Fort McKavett State Historic Site was transferred to the Texas Historical Commission (THC) from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and is no longer considered a Texas State Park. The State Park Pass and Parklands Passport are statewide passes for parks operated by TPWD. Fort McKavett State Historic Site is managed by the THC. Find out more about Fort McKavett's admission fees on the Hours & Admission page.

The entire site can be toured in one to two hours.

We sell water, Gatorade and soft drinks. The closest place to buy food is in Menard, 23 miles away.

No, there is no overnight camping at the site.

Fort McKavett never had a wall or stockade around it. The fort was protected by sentries and mounted patrols. The only major attack by Native Americans on residents in the vicinity of the fort occurred in August of 1866 during the time the fort was unoccupied by troops. Local residents managed to defend themselves against several hundred Kickapoo Native Americans, suffering only one dead and one wounded.

The number of troops stationed at Fort McKavett varied from month to month. According to the Post Returns, there were 578 troops assigned to the post in August 1872.

Lee had his regimental headquarters at Fort Mason but was never assigned to Fort McKavett. Although there is no official documentation that he was here, he may have visited Fort McKavett.

White wash was used on the buildings to help protect and seal the soft mortar that was used to hold the rock together. The hospital building, which was built after the other fort buildings, used a better quality mortar and the builders felt that there was no need to apply white wash.

Teddy Roosevelt never visited Fort McKavett. However, Elliott Roosevelt, the younger brother of President Roosevelt, came to Texas in 1876 and returned again in 1877. When he was a growing boy of sixteen, he was sent to Texas with Dr. and Mrs. J.A. Metcalfe to see whether the invigorating climate of the hill country of the Edwards Plateau would benefit him. He spent considerable time hunting and fishing south of Fort McKavett with the officers of the 10th Cavalry that were assigned to Fort McKavett.

The fort’s water supply came from Government Springs. Water from the Edwards Aquifer bubbles out of the ground a quarter-mile downhill from the hospital building. Each day, soldiers from the fort would haul water up to the fort using water wagons. The springs are a part of the headwaters of the San Saba River.

There were no major battles fought near the fort. Most field activities consisted of scouting parties conducted by small units of cavalry patrolling through known areas of Native American activity. These scouting parties for the most part were fruitless and uneventful. One significant exception occurred in May of 1870. While on a routine patrol to Kickapoo Springs, 10 men led by Sergeant Emmanuel Stance engaged Native Americans three times successfully and captured 14 horses. This was the fifth encounter between Stance and the Native Americans in two years. For the consistent discharge of his duties and in the face of danger, Sergeant Stance won the Medal of Honor.

Nomadic Native Americans were in the areas around Fort McKavett for thousands of years. During the time Fort McKavett was active, there were remnants of many tribes who had been forced from their native hunting and camping grounds by the westward expansion of the settlers. Displaced tribes included the Tonkawa, Apache and Comanche.

The state of Texas owns Fort McKavett. In 2008, the state legislature transferred the site from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Historical Commission (THC). It is no longer affiliated with the state park system. The THC is the state agency for historic preservation.