Fort Phantom

Yesterday afternoon after all the work was complete, Vol Fan and I went to explore a little.  It was sunny and 75* - perfect, even with the ever-present Texas wind.  We drove a few miles outside of Abilene to Fort Phantom, which was a fort established in 1851.

This area was firmly in the midst of the vast Comancheria or lands that were occupied by the Comanche.  But the pioneers saw more land and wanted it which led to conflict.  Very often bloody, violent conflict.

[Sidebar:  If you care to learn more about the Comanche and this conflict, read Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne.  It is a fantastic book!]

By the 1890s, the fort was abandoned and fell to ruin.  This is what remains today.

The magazine

Chimneys from the officers quarters

Vol Fan looking out of the commissary

Inside the commissary

Chimneys from the hospital

Fort Phantom is located on FM 600, north of Abilene, Texas.