Fort Travis (2)

Fort Travis (2) (1898-1947) - Established in 1898 as an Endicott Period coastal defense fortification. Named 4 Apr 1900 in G.O. 43 for William B. Travis, who, in command of Texan forces, gallantly perished in the defense of the Alamo, 6 Mar 1836. Active military post until 1947. Endicott Period Part of the Harbor Defense of Galveston. Construction on Fort Travis began in 1898 and was completed in 1899. Two batteries were built, Battery Davis (1) and Battery Ernst. The fort sustained heavy damage in the Galveston hurricane of 1900 but was rebuilt. A fifteen-foot seawall was built in 1906. Fort Travis Endicott Period Battery (edit list) Battery Click on Battery links below No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Notes Battery Davis (1) 2 8" Disappearing 1898-1898-1911-1918 1900 Hurricane damaged rebuilt Battery Ernst 3 3" Masking Pedestal 1898-1898-1911-1946 1900 Hurricane damaged rebuilt Source: CDSG Fot Travis Plan World War I In World War I Fort Travis defended the port of Galveston and approaches. Battery Kimble was added in 1925. Fort Travis World War I Battery (edit list) Battery Click on Battery links below No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Notes Battery Kimble 2 12" Long Range Barbette 1917-1922-1922-1943 Guns to Fort Moultrie Source: CDSG World War II During World War II Battery 236 (1943) was added along with a supporting SCR-296 gun laying radar site. See Fort Travis WWII Radar Site. The post also housed German prisoners of war during World War II. Fort Travis World War II Battery (edit list) Battery Click on Battery links below No. Caliber Type Mount Service Years Notes Battery 236 2 6" Shielded Long Range Barbette 1942-1945-1945-194? Gun tubes never arrived, battery not armed Source: CDSG Current Status Fort Travis Seashore Park, a Galveston County Park with battery structures remaining, no period guns or carriages in place. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Fort Travis Seashore Park, eastern tip of Galveston Island. Maps & Images Lat: 29.36492 Long: -94.75822 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 10' Recent Blog Posts: Galveston Harbor Defenses See Also: Fort Travis WWII Radar Site Battery Hoskins [[Battery 235] Battery 236 Battery Davis Battery Ernst Battery Kimble Sources: Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 168 Gaines, William, The Seacoast Defenses of Galveston, Texas, The Coast Defense Journal, Vol 21, Issue 4, page 4 The Handbook of Texas OnLine Links: North American Forts - Galveston Visited: 15 Dec 2011, 12 Nov 2009 Picture Gallery Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!