Lt. Col. Melville Cochran and family before CO's quarters in 1889.

Fort Davis Today

AFTER THE ABANDONMENT OF FORT DAVIS civilians resided in the quarters for a number of years and maintained them in reasonably good repair. In the 1930's D. A. Simmons purchased the property and performed much repair and maintenance work. For these reasons, Fort Davis was spared the rapid deterioration that befell most abandoned frontier forts. And although some buildings have since collapsed, and others have suffered the ravages of time and weather, Fort Davis is today one of the most complete surviving examples of the typical western military fort to be found.

As part of the National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, the National Park Service studied Fort Davis in 1960 and recommended that historical significance coupled with extensive remains made it a site of exceptional value meriting preservation as part of the National Park System. Authorizing legislation was introduced in Congress in 1961 by Senator Ralph Yarborough and Representative J. T. Rutherford of Texas. The bill was enacted on September 8, 1961, and following acquisition of the property from the heirs of D. A. Simmons, Fort Davis National Historic Site became part of the National Park System.