Fort McKavett

I went to Fort McKavett on Saturday for my first tour of the fort. Oh sure I had driven by the fort on several different occasions but never took a time out to stop and nose around the ruins.

My good friend, Nancy, works at the fort. I timed it so that I arrived towards the end of her shift so she could give me the "tour". She was working in the gift shop/museum on Saturday. WOW -- talk about stepping back in time. There are replicas of Indian artifacts as well as flags that I assume once flew at the fort. The museum hosts a time line beginning with the Apaches being overtaken by the Comanches. Nancy ended my history lesson with the story of Scab Town residents helping themselves to the abandoned fort for lumber and anything else they could get their hands on. Ah, good ol' Scab Town. The name says it all. It was located across the river from the fort and was the downfall of many a soldier on a Saturday night. Barmaids and brawls go hand in hand.

One cannot go to Fort McKavett without stopping at Pete's for a cold one. Pete's is located off-premises of the fort just down the road. This spot in the road sports all kinds of character. Pete has a menagerie of novelty items stashed along the walls and even nailed to the ceiling in his place of business. There is a huge wood burning stove in the middle of the room and it was the main attraction when Nancy and I stopped by.

A bit of trivia that I learned: My dad, an accomplished rock mason, assisted with the restoration of the fort in the early 70s. Thank you, Nancy, for the history lessons and for sharing that tidbit of information about my father and his contribution to the fort.