Abandoned Towns
The sutler’s store walls, September 2015

Railroad and road town

Fort Griffin

Fort ruins overlook the Clear Fork of the Brazos. Below the military post, merchants and buffalo hunters built a separate civilian town.

32°55′38″N 99°13′56″W · ≈1,290 ft

Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

State historic site

Start at the state historic site visitor center at 1701 North US Highway 283. The operator currently lists daily opening from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with adult admission of $5. Tours cross uneven ground. Restrooms are available at the visitor center; check the operator’s page for current tours and ticket categories.

Overview

A frontier post above the town called the Flat

The sutler’s store walls, September 2015
The sutler’s store walls, September 2015 · Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

The US Army established Fort Griffin on July 31, 1867. Its position above the Clear Fork gave soldiers a view over the river country. The post belonged to the military system that supported expanding settlement and campaigns against the Comanche and Kiowa.

The civilian settlement below the fort became known as the Flat. Cattle drovers, buffalo hunters and merchants gave it an economy beyond the garrison. The state historic site interprets both communities, but the fort on the plateau and the former town below should not be confused. Most surviving features belong to the military post.

Video

Fort Griffin in 30 seconds

Fort Griffin guarded the Texas frontier from 1867. Historic photographs and maps are dated on screen; current access is summarized in the guide.

Images and historic maps: Larry D. Moore (CC BY 4.0), Mark Fisher (CC BY-SA 3.0), Mark Fisher (CC BY-SA 3.0), Larry D. Moore (CC BY 4.0). Cropped, animated and overlaid with text. Video adaptation: CC BY-SA 4.0. Original synthesized music; narration by Google Gemini 3.8 Flash TTS, Charon. English captions included.

History

How Fort Griffin grew and changed

  1. Four companies of the 6th Cavalry establish the post under Lt. Col. Samuel D. Sturgis.
  2. The Flat serves soldiers, cattle drovers, hide traders and passing travelers.
  3. The frontier post loses its original role as settlement expands.
  4. The property becomes a Texas state historic site.
  5. Management transfers to the Texas Historical Commission.

On the ground

What remains at Fort Griffin

The site combines fort ruins, restored features and replicas. The bakery and stone walls help show the original layout, while exhibits explain the post and the civilian town. The Texas Historical Commission also maintains part of the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd here.

Before you go

Access and current conditions

Start at the state historic site visitor center at 1701 North US Highway 283. The operator currently lists daily opening from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with adult admission of $5. Tours cross uneven ground. Restrooms are available at the visitor center; check the operator’s page for current tours and ticket categories.

Reading the maps

The town in its landscape

The detailed 1965 sheet separates Fort Griffin near the river from ruins and the park on the plateau.

Historic maps

Fort Griffin on USGS maps, 1892–1985

Crops from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, centered on the townsite. Each sheet shows what surveyors mapped that year; compare them with today's topo and aerial on this page.

USGS topographic map around Fort Griffin, 1892
Albany sheet, 1892, 1:125,000 · U.S. Geological Survey, public domain · catalog record

Map & directions

Getting there

The routes below use OSRM on OpenStreetMap data. Follow the access notes above and confirm current conditions before traveling.

USGS topographic location map of Fort Griffin

Base map: USGS The National Map (public domain). Routes: OSRM on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), computed October 2026. Times assume dry roads.

From Albany15.3 miabout 24 min
  1. Start on South Main Street (US 180; US 283)0.5 mi
  2. Continue straight onto Hill Street (US 180; US 283)0.4 mi
  3. Turn left onto North Gregg Street (US 283)13.6 mi
  4. Turn left onto Park Road 58 (PR 58)0.6 mi
  5. Turn straight onto the connecting road0.1 mi
  6. Arrive at the routed road endpoint0.0 mi
Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Directions go to Routed road endpoint near Fort Griffin, where the drive ends, not to the townsite.

Road and safety notes

  • Start at the state historic site visitor center at 1701 North US Highway 283. The operator currently lists daily opening from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with adult admission of $5. Tours cross uneven ground. Restrooms are available at the visitor center; check the operator’s page for current tours and ticket categories.
  • The routed drive ends on the mapped road approximately 172 metres from the town point. It does not authorize driving off the road or entering private land.

Photos

Fort Griffin in photos

Visitor reports

Been to Fort Griffin?

Been there lately? Tell the next visitor what you found: whether you could get in, the state of the road and what's still standing. Photos are welcome. We read every report before it appears here.

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Nearby

Other sites near Fort Griffin

Straight-line distance from the townsite to other mapped sites in our Texas index.

Sources

Sources and credits

  1. Fort Griffin - Wikipedia: historical chronology, identity and location; read October 25, 2026.
  2. Fort Griffen - Texas Ghost Town: historical fact sheet and town history; read October 25, 2026.
  3. Fort Griffin | Texas Historical Commission: history, surviving features and visitor information; read October 25, 2026.
  4. Plan Your Visit to Fort Griffin | Texas Historical Commission: history, surviving features and visitor information; read October 25, 2026.
  5. Elevation at the mapped point: USGS 3D Elevation Program query, October 25, 2026. Historical topographic sheets: USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).
  6. Road routes and step distances: OSRM on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), October 25, 2026. Route endpoints are shown separately where they do not reach the town point; estimates do not confirm current road access.
  7. Wikimedia Commons, Fort Griffin Sutlers Store.jpg: The sutler’s store walls, September 2015; CC BY 4.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.
  8. Wikimedia Commons, FortGriffinTXOfficersChimney.jpg: A lone chimney at the officers’ quarters, June 2008; CC BY-SA 3.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.
  9. Wikimedia Commons, 0011FortGriffinTxAdminBuilding.jpg: Stone walls and chimney of the administration building, June 2008; CC BY-SA 3.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.
  10. Wikimedia Commons, Fort Griffin Texas Restored Bakery.jpg: The restored bakery building, September 2015; CC BY 4.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.

Photo and map credits