Fort Davis National Historic Site

Located in southwest Texas, Fort Davis was declared a national historic site on September 8, 1961. One of the best-surviving examples of a frontier military post, the site preserves the history of a turbulent and controversial time in US history. The fort—originally established to protect mail coaches, travelers, and freight wagons on the San Antonio to El Paso Road—began as one of the largest military outposts on the frontier. The Ninth Cavalry, one of the first Black units in the US military, was stationed at Fort Davis from 1867 to 1885. Second Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first Black graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, was stationed at Fort Davis from 1880 to 1881. Fort Davis National Historic Site is home to 15 species of mammals—including mountain lions, spotted ground squirrels, and gray foxes—and more than 120 species of birds.