Archived Feature:
Fort Phantom Hill
Established in the 1850s, Fort Phantom Hill is one of many outposts established by the US Army as support for westward-moving settlers. A number of these in Texas are semi-preserved, and you can see many of them by following the signed Texas Forts Trail in west Central Texas.
Oddly, this particular example was never officially named. It was most often referred to as "the fort on the Clear Fork of the Brazos." The Phantom Hill nickname seems to have come from the fact that it is situated on a small hill which seems substantial when viewed from a distance, but which levels out when approached, seeming to disappear "like a phantom."
The ruins of Fort Phantom Hill are located on FM 600 (W Phantom Hill Rd) eleven miles north of Abilene in Jones County.
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