Fort Davis, Texas - Nov 2005

Look at the beautiful patriotic theme that was designed into the Jeff Davis County Courthouse. The red and white stripes on the walls (all created from pink granite and white limestone) and the beautiful blue trim on the eaves and gables. Just gotta love the spirit of small town USA -- especially in Texas! Even the clock in the bell tower had the correct time. What pride these folks have in their town. (And YES, the sky was really that blue!)

One of the true pleasures of being full-time travelers is the ability to linger in a place that we find interesting, scenic and/or just simply a comfortable location to relax for awhile. Fort Davis has turned out to be another one of those places. On Saturday, we wandered into town with the goal of touring the Fort Davis National Historic Site, but on our way we passed by the town square and saw what turned out to be the 2nd Annual Fort Davis Beautiful Burro contest -- too funny. Of course we had to stop and check out the entries. We thought this little burro was pretty cute and he was our favorite even though he didn't win first prize.

We eventually made it to the historic fort site and enjoyed touring the grounds, learning the history of the fort and seeing the fully restored buildings and collection of artifacts as well as the projects that were still undergoing restoration work. This long porch was the outside of the enlisted men's barracks that now contains the Visitor's Center, the museum and gift shop and a replica of what the barracks looked like back in the 1860s. The parade grounds were just outside of the barracks and the officer's quarters were on the opposite side.

The fort was a fairly sizable establishment and served to protect the local citizens from raiding Indians. It also had a large hospital that served the community and it was used as a overnight stop for the Overland Mail service between San Antonio and El Paso. Many of the buildings had been restored and were fully furnished with pieces of that era. This was the commanding officer's home and came complete with indoor plumbing (of sorts) -- it only had a single faucet (cold water only) in a small room that was used for bathing. Since baths were probably not all the frequent, the room also doubled as a sewing room and storage area. The indoor plumbing didn't extend to a toilet, so the commanding officer still had to go out and use the privy.

Some buildings, including this two-story officer's quarters, were in the process of restoration giving us a glimpse at the original construction materials used as well as a good idea of what it used to look like. The views from the second floor were awesome.

The remains of the chapel were original materials including adobe blocks and rock walls. Kinda reminded me of another famous chapel in Texas.