Abilene · Taylor County · Dedicated 1972 · THC Atlas #4200001552
Texas history, up close and curated.
About this site
Fort Phantom Hill is a museum in Abilene, Taylor County, dedicated in 1972. It is one of 8 museums documented in Taylor County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 126 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 32.6021, -99.6954 near Abilene. The nearest cataloged historic site is Hardin-Simmons University (historical marker), about 8.9 miles away. Others within a short drive include Caldwell Hall, Site of Old Headquarters of the Hashknife Ranch, and Abilene Christian University.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #4200001552. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
Fort Phantom Hill, officially the 'Post on the Clear Fork of the Brazos,' was established by the U.S. Army in 1851 as part of a line of frontier forts and abandoned in 1854, soon after being largely destroyed by fire. The site later served as a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route, a point on the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail, and a Confederate outpost, and a small town grew around it before declining when the railroad bypassed it for Abilene. Today about a dozen stone chimneys, foundations, and three stone buildings remain on the site, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
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