Historic Site
Fort Phantom Hill: A Free Historic Site Near Anson
Fort Phantom Hill is a preserved frontier army post from 1851 that is open to the public at no charge.
The U.S. Army built Fort Phantom Hill in November 1851 to protect settlers on the West Texas frontier. Troops left in 1854, and fire destroyed most of the wooden buildings. Stone structures survived — including chimneys, a powder magazine, and a guardhouse — and they still stand today. The fort later served as a mail station on the Butterfield Overland Mail route in the late 1850s.
The site is open every day from sunrise to sunset. No admission fee has been advertised by the managing foundation. It is located off FM 600, north of Hawley in Jones County — about 14 miles north of Abilene. The property is managed by the Fort Phantom Foundation. The Texas Historical Commission has a documented record of the site in its atlas. If you are visiting Jones County, this is one of the most intact frontier military ruins in West Texas.
Source to confirm: Texas Historical Commission Atlas — Fort Phantom Hill