Marker at Fort Leaton |
There's a reason it was mostly uninhabited |
Leaton died in 1851 and his widow married Edward Hal who moved into the fort and took over the Leaton business. When he ran into financial trouble, he used the fort as collateral to borrow money from Leaton's ex-scalp hunting partner, John Burgess. When he defaulted on the loan, Burgess tried to evict Hal and his wife, but Edward refused to leave. He was found murdered not long afterward and there was no proof as to who killed him. The now twice widowed woman promptly moved out and was lost to history. John moved into the fort, but 10 years later was also found murdered. It was said that Ben Leaton's son did the deed in revenge, but he was never brought to trial and the death of Burgess was never solved and largely forgotten.
Be careful where you step |
Entrance side of Fort Leaton |
Due to murders, financial difficulties and abandonment, the fort and surrounding land was deeded to the state of Texas in 1967. Rumors of the building being haunted didn't help finding anyone who would buy the property. (For the story of the haunting click here.) Located on FM 170, Fort Leaton is today a Texas State Historical Site and is undergoing restoration. So far, 24 of the original rooms have been restored complete with cottonwood beams and the other 16 rooms are in various stages of restoration. The site contains historic ruins, nature trails, and exhibits and is open from 8:00AM - 4:30PM every day except Christmas. A Texas State Park Store gift shop is located on the grounds.
Restoration continues on the old fort |
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