Fort Graham Preservation Society, Inc.

“Protecting our future by preserving our past”

123 Cedar Hill Dr.; Whitney, TX 76692

Fort Graham was a pioneer fort.

Established in 1849 at the site of Jose Maria Village, an Anadaca camp on the western edge of present day Hill County, Texas.

It remained in service until 1853, when settlements had moved further west.

It was named after Col. William M. Graham, who fell at Molina del Rey.

In 1936 the Texas Centennial Commission granted Hill County $6700 to purchase the land upon which the Fort stood and reconstruct one of the buildings.

The following is a transcription of the Hill County Commissioners Court Acceptance of the dedication

Transcribed from Volume M Page 392 of the Hill County Commissioner’s Court record

Whereas, the site of old Fort Graham is located in the western part of Hill County, and is considered one of the historical spots of Texas, and is held in sacred memory by the people of Hill County, and

Whereas, the State of Texas, through the Commission of Control for Centennial Celebration, has seen fit to construct a replica of this old Fort on the exact site where the original structure stood, and

Whereas, The Hill County Centennial Historical Committee and other citizens have rendered faithful and valuable service in having this Fort rebuilt to be enjoyed by the citizens of the County, and all visitors who are at all times welcome, and

Whereas, the State of Texas has offered to deed the Fort and all land upon which it stands and other properties described in a deed to Hill County, to be held in perpetual trust for the patriotic use of the citizens of Hill County to commemorate old Fort Graham and to keep alive the historical significance of said Fort Graham, and the Commissioner's Court, believing the best interest of the citizenship of Hill County can be served by this property coming under the jurisdiction of the County,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Commissioner's Court of Hill County that we hereby accept the deed to said property mentioned above for, and in behalf of the citizenship of the County, to be retained perpetually as a place of historical education of the present and future generations, with the hope that the people will appreciate the historical significance of this old Fort, visit it often, and otherwise keep alive the memory of the history of Fort Graham, which has had the attention of the people of Texas focused upon it during this Centennial Year in which Texas celebrates its 100th birthday.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Court desires to appoint trustees of said property who are residents of the Fort Graham Community and have a direct interest in the proper maintenance and welfare of the Fort and the property surrounding it, and who are willing to give of their time and effort in properly looking after said property, and the Commissioner's Court hereby appoints: Asa Richards, Mrs. Claude Parks, W.C. Barnett & Will Rose as trustees and custodians of said property, upon the death or resignation of any one of these four named citizens, the Court shall name some other person qualified to serve as trustee and custodian.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we hereby designate the County Judge of Hill County, Perry Shipley, to attend the dedication ceremonies to be held at Fort Graham on October 18th to accept same for this Court and for the citizenship of Hill County.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That Burris C. Jackson, Chairman of the Hill County Centennial Historical Committee, who has rendered a valuable service to the success of this event be requested to deliver the acceptance speech for and in behalf of the Court and the Citizenship of Hill County.

DULY PASSED BY ORDER THIS COURT THIS THE 12TH DAY OF OCTOBER, 1936.

J.E. Carmichael, Commissioner Precinct No.1

Sam Glass, Commissioner Precinct No.2

B.F. Glover, Commissioner Precinct No.3

R.H. Ellis, Commissioner Precinct No.4

Perry Shipley, County Judge, Hill County

Attest: Clay Bedell, County Clerk and Ex-Officio Clerk of the Commissioner's Court of Hill County, Texas

In 1953 the US Army Corps of Engineers took the fort site as part of the Lake Whitney project.

The Corps never moved the old fort reconstruction out of the lakebed; yet saw no historical value to the building.

It was not until 1983, when a group of local citizens led by Mrs. Selma Hill raised $15,000 to move the building, that this historic resource was saved from continued inundation. At this time the building was only three years from being eligible for the National Register on its own merits, however the citizens were never informed of this. Had it achieved National Register status the Corps would have been forced to take preservative action.

The Corps, in accordance with the 1936 dedication, operated a park on the site until 1982 at which time Hill County was forced to enter into a lease for the property or lose this culturally significant resource. The citizens of the County were again called upon to maintain the site, and did so until 2002. In 2002 the Corps came before the County demanding that a minimum of $60,000 be spent for the revitalization of the area. Hill County did not have the funds for this, so it had no choice but to relinquish the lease.

The Fort Graham Preservation Society, Inc. is a non-profit corporation established to ensure that the memory of Fort Graham is not lost. FGPS is currently working with Federal and County agencies to preserve and revitalize Fort Graham Park and archeological site. It is our hope that through mutual cooperation this significant cultural and recreation site may be saved.