Lonn Taylor and Light Cummins
Today I had the pleasure visiting historic Fort Davis with historian Lonn Taylor, who is retired as Curator of the Smithsonian Institution. A specialist in material culture, Lonn knows more about historical sites and artifacts than most anyone I know. It was a hot day, but we spent several hours visiting every part of the fort, which is one of the significant frontier forts in Texas. The fort operated in Jeff Davis County from 1854 until 1891. although it was closed for several years during the Civil War. Maintained by the National Park Service, it is considered to be one of the best examples of a nineteenth century southwestern fort. As was the case with many frontier forts of that era, there were no stockades or walls that surrounded the compound. Instead, its buildings and homes were open. Soldiers from the fort patrolled the region, returning to use the fort as their headquarters base. At various times, the fort was home to the famous ninth and tenth cavalry units. Fort Davis was also the site of the famous trial of Henry O. Flipper, the African-American army officer who was charge with improper requisition of supplies. President Clinton posthumously pardoned Flipper in 1999, some 59 years after Flipper's passing. All in all, Fort Davis is a well-interpreted, excellent historical site at which Texans can learn much about the nineteenth century frontier heritage of the state.Click Here for the Fort Davis website
