Holding command over the Southern Plains, Fort Griffin served as one in a line of western defensive forts from 1867 to 1881. Remnants of the fort remain today at Fort Griffin State Historic Site, which is also home to the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd and offers camping, fishing, hiking, stargazing, and living history.
Among the fort's ruins are a mess hall, barracks, first sergeant’s quarters, bakery, powder magazine, and hand-dug well that are all deeply tied to Texas history. The campgrounds, located on the banks of the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, provide visitors with an opportunity to relax under large shade trees, enjoy the playground, catch catfish in the river, or hike nature trails connected to the campground. Due to the vast ranches surrounding the property, Fort Griffin has minimal light pollution. The result is an astronomer’s oasis with great skies for viewing constellations, planets, and galaxies at Fort Griffin’s monthly stargazing events.
Fort Griffin is a State Archeological Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Campgrounds
Fort Griffin offers overnight camping at 33 campsites and primitive camping on nearly five acres. Learn More
Upcoming Events
October 13
Living History Days
The past will come to life at Fort Griffin State Historic Site on October 13-14, 2023, as living historians gather to portray life at the fort and nearby Wild West town as it was in the 1870's. You're invited to join us from 9 am to 4 pm...
From the Blog
By Alexandra Dedovitch
In the days when Texas travelers needed protection from warring Native American tribes, wagons sought safe passage as they expanded westward, and camels roamed the region as an experiment for military transportation, Texas military forts were a pinnacle of importance for the Texas frontier. Although long deserted from active duty, these 3 famous Texas Forts...
It’s always a good time to visit a state historic site, but Texas anglers have a special reason to get hooked on history. Several of the Texas Historical Commission’s state historic sites offer amazing fishing opportunities year-round. State fishing rules apply at all sites.
Confederate Reunion Grounds1738 FM 2705, Mexia, TX 76667
Mexia’s Confederate Reunion Grounds...
By Will Cradduck, Fort Griffin Herd Manager
This is a story about one of the steers in our Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd at Fort Griffin State Historic Site. I call him Old Paint because he’s an old, paint-colored steer, and he reminds me of the old song, “Ridin’ Old Paint and Leadin’ Old Dan.”
One day a couple of years ago, I was about to load Old Paint into a trailer...
