Marker Inscription
Military, Transportation
Historic Place
Fort Leaton
The landmarks the nation chose to remember.
About this site
Fort Leaton is a historic place in Presidio, Presidio County, dedicated in 1973. It is one of 3 historic places documented in Presidio County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 81 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 29.5442, -104.3282 near Presidio. The nearest cataloged historic site is Leaton, Ben, Home of (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include El Fortin De San Jose, Presidio del Norte, and Mission Del Apostol Santiago.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #2073001972. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
History
This sprawling adobe compound near Presidio, one of the largest adobe buildings in Texas, was probably first built by Juan Bustillos in the 1830s. In 1848 Chihuahua Trail freighter Ben Leaton bought the property and expanded it into a fortified, roughly 40-room square that served as a home, trading post, and private fortress; it became the first seat of Presidio County government in 1850. After passing through the Hall and Burgess families, the fort was abandoned in 1926, deeded to the state in 1967, and opened to the public as a Texas state historic site in 1978.
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Nearby in Presidio County
Historical Marker
El Fortin De San Jose
Presidio vicinity · 1978
Historical Marker
Leaton, Ben, Home of
Presidio vicinity · 1936
Historical Marker
Presidio del Norte
Presidio vicinity · 1936
Historical Marker
Mission Del Apostol Santiago
Presidio vicinity · 1936
Cemetery
Unknown Cemetery #5
Presidio County
Cemetery
Casa Blanca Cemetery
Presidio County
Cemetery
Loma Pelona Cemetery
Presidio County
Cemetery
Unknown (Sanchez Grave)
Presidio