Fort Lancaster | |
 Illustration of Fort Lancaster in Harper's Weekly, 1861 | |
  Fort Lancaster  Fort Lancaster | |
| Location | Crockett County, Texas |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Sheffield, Texas |
| Coordinates | 30°39′58″N 101°41′46″W / 30.66611°N 101.69611°W |
| Area | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| Built | 1855 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000928 |
| TSAL No. | 8200000190 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 11, 1971 |
| Designated TSHS | April 16, 1968 |
| Designated TSAL | February 22, 1983 |
Fort Lancaster is a former United States Army installation located near Sheffield, Texas. The fort was established in 1855 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road to protect migrants moving toward California through Texas. The US Army occupied Fort Lancaster until Texas seceded from the United States in March 1861 and were replaced at the fort by forces loyal to the Confederate States of America. The Confederate Army held the fort from November 1861 until April 1862, when it was again abandoned and then burned.
The 82-acre site, now operated by the Texas Historical Commission as Fort Lancaster State Historic Site, contains the ruins of 29 buildings that made up the fort and a visitor center with a museum.