Fort Croghan Fort Croghan was the third of the first four fort s established by the United States government to protect settlers from hostile Indians along the Texas frontier . From its establishment in 1849 until its decommission in 1853 , Fort Croghan was home to Company C , 8th Infantry , U . S . A . ( mounted ) and eventually became the headquarters of the Second Dragoon Regiment . Part of a chain of forts extending from Fort Worth to Fort Inge near present day Uvalde , the fort was named for Colonel George Croghan . The fort originally covered some near the present day city of Burnet , Texas , extending from Hamilton Creek up and over Post Mountain . Today a small section exists due to the efforts of the Burnet County Historical Society who raised money in the 1960s to purchase this portion of the old fort . Early history . In the 1840s , upon the annexation of Texas to the United States , the federal government became responsible for the protection of frontier settlers from Indian raids . Several companies of Texas Rangers , financed by the federal government , were stationed along the frontier . In December 1847 , a company of Rangers under the command of Henry Eustace McCulloch took up a position about three miles ( 5 km ) south of present day Burnet . Samuel E . Holland purchased a grant there in 1848 , including the land on which the Ranger station was located . His residence built on that land is said to have been the first permanent home in Burnet County . 1 . The indigenous peoples of the Americas had occupied this region for thousands of years , but did not build or live in permanent homes , theirs being a migratory culture . In the late 1840s , it became apparent that the lure of free and cheap land had thrust many settlers far beyond the protection of civilization . More and more settlers arrived , many of them from foreign countries . Some came expecting to acquire good farmland near the Texas coast . They soon learned that they would have to move hundreds of miles inland and the only land left was marginal rangeland . Indians who had been peaceful due to treaties and the presence of the United States soldiers during the U . S . - Mexican War now began to come into conflict with these newcomers . The Comanche and Apache were particularly incensed at this intrusion into their ancient hunting grounds . At first , the government wanted to build Fort Croghan near Holland Springs . Burnet County ' s first white resident , Sam Holland , objected strenuously to a military post being located near his home . It was then decided to locate the fort a few miles north on Hamilton Creek . There was no more important consideration than a year - round source of abundant clean water . Water was needed for many functions as well as drinking water for people and animals . All the necessary buildings – including a hospital , bakery , officers ' quarters , enlisted men ' s huts , powderhouse , horse and mule lots , blacksmith shop , storage buildings and a lookout building on top of Post Mountain – were constructed by the soldiers . In October 1849 , Company C . 8th Infantry , U . S . A . Mounted arrived to occupy this newly constructed fort . Fort Croghan consisted of the usual log cabins enclosed by a strong stockade ( edit ) » ( Fort Croghan was not enclosed by a stockade . It was reported by a government inspector . " they didnt want the soldiers to let their guard down due to a false sense of security created by a fence " . ) « It was manned by one company of cavalry and one of infantry . The first commander was Captain Phillip St . George Cook . Captain Cook soon resigned his position and was followed by Captains ; Blake , Lee and Sibley . Some of the soldiers settled in the area and stayed on after the Fort was decommissioned . Christian Dorbandt , later sheriff of Burnet County was one of these men . 3 . A small town soon grew up across Hamilton Creek as merchants and other suppliers of services moved to be near the fort . Logan Vandeveer and Peter Kerr were among the first to obtain contracts to furnish the fort with beef and other foodstuffs . In 1852 Vandeveer was instrumental in petitioning the Texas Legislature to authorize the creation of Burnet County . The town was first called Hamilton or Hamilton Valley , but in 1858 the name was changed to Burnet also . Fort Croghan was abandoned in December 1853 , having served its purpose . The last building there was demolished in the 1920s and the old fort was forgotten as the town grew and prospered . Fort Croghan Restoration . In the 1960s , a group of citizens interested in preserving this part of Burnet County and the city of Burnet ' s past formed the Burnet County Historical Society and raised the money to purchase the present day grounds . Early presidents of the Burnet County Historical Society included ; Rethie Dorbandt , Ed Young , Virgil Lewis , Tad Moses , Jimsey Husted , Phyllis Adrian , Reta Ross , Clyde Mather , Mrs . T . D . Bryant , W . C . Galloway , Mather Dorbandt , and Donald Duncan . 4 . Local landowners donated the historical cabins which were moved to the fort grounds and reassembled exactly as they were . Fort Croghan Grounds and Museum . The Fort Croghan Museum features historical artifact s including tools , household items and Western gear . The grounds contain restored buildings with period displays , including a stage stop house , blacksmith shop , school house , powder house , several late 19th century cabins , a lookout house and a syrup making shop . Fort Croghan Day is held each year to demonstrate frontier life .