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Texas Hill Country , Burnet, Texas, Attractions, Things To Do, History
Fort Croghan
Burnet held its annual Fort Croghan Day on Saturday, October 10, to keep alive the memory of pioneer life in Burnet.
Fort Croghan brings history to life
by John Hallowell
On the second Saturday of each October, history buffs and civic minded Burnet residents congregate on the grounds of old Fort Croghan. In and around the restored log cabins (only one original fort building remains), costumed volunteers and re-enactors demonstrate the old ways of blacksmithing, cooking, sewing, weaving, doing laundry, making rope and candles -- even, this year, playing baseball just after the Civil War (back then, the baseball gloves were primitive, but you could get the batter out by catching the ball on "first bounce," and you could put a runner out by hitting him with the ball between bases!)
Fort Croghan was built in 1849 to protect settlers from Comanches, but it was soon abandoned as the frontier moved rapidly to the west. By the 1950s, very little was left to tell the story of Burnet's beginnings. That's when some local residents decided to create a historical museum on the site, and began bringing log cabins from around the county for restoration on the grounds of the old fort. Today, there are ten restored buildings and hundreds of historical artifacts there. For more information on the hours and events at old Fort Croghan, visit www.fortcroghan.org.
