Pioneer fun at Fort Croghan Day
See how people in Burnet County lived in the 1850s at Fort Croghan Day. The annual pioneer fun day is Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Fort Croghan Museum and Grounds, 703 Buchanan Drive in Burnet.
The museum ends its season each second Saturday in October with a blast from the past, including actual blasts of gunfire and a cannon and the more peaceful pasttimes of butter churning, wool spinning, basket weaving, and more.
Croghan was one of four forts built along the Texas frontier to protect settlers as they moved west. From 1849-53, it was home to the U.S. Army’s Second Dragoons and had a hospital, barracks, bakery, and munitions shed. The adjutant general’s cottage is one of two original buildings on the grounds today.
During its operation, the fort was the heart of the community, then named Hamilton.
“I don’t think there’d be a Burnet without Fort Croghan,” said Judy Lively, a member of the Burnet County Heritage Society, which operates and maintains the museum and grounds. She called the Second Dragoons “the special forces of the Army at that time.” Around 130 men served in the unit.
Many civilians made their fortunes thanks to the Army’s presence. Peter Kerr, one of several local leaders who received land grants for fighting in the Texas war for independence, owned much of what is now downtown Burnet. He leased around 1,200 to 1,500 acres to the U.S. government for the Army.
Logan Vandeveer, another founding father, became the area’s first businessman when he contracted with Fort Croghan to provide beef to hungry soldiers. After the fort was decommissioned, Vandeveer and his brother took their herd to Louisiana, where they both died of Yellow Fever.
Texas granted Vandeveer two parcels of land. The first was later taken back and became the Capitol grounds in Austin. He also owned property north of Marble Falls, where he built what is known as the Bluebonnet House on U.S. 281. After Vandeveer’s death, his four orphaned daughters lived there. The abandoned house still stands and draws hundreds of wildflower peepers with cameras every spring.
First called Culloch’s Station, the Burnet fort was eventually named after Col. George Croghan, who fought in the War of 1812.
Not much remains of the original structure. The Burnet County Heritage Society has since moved an old schoolhouse, a stage-coach stop, a post office, a working blacksmith shop, a tipi, and more to the museum’s 38 acres.
During Fort Croghan Day on Saturday, re-enactors will greet visitors with demonstrations of flint knapping, wood carving, biscuit making, butter churning, basket weaving, spinning, and more. The clang of hammer to anvil will be heard coming from the blacksmith shop, where a fire is tended hot enough to melt metal. Classes will be taught in the old schoolhouse. Kids can pull up a bucket from the well, play old-fashioned games, and make cornhusk dolls.
The Sons of the Republic of Texas will fire off their authentic cannon, and a (safe) gunfight promises to break out at 10 a.m.
Hungry visitors can purchase hamburgers, hot dogs, sloppy joes, and homemade baked goods. Proceeds benefit the Heritage Society.
After the event, the fort closes for the season, which runs from the second Saturday in April to the second Saturday in October. Opening day in 2025 is April 12.
Costumed hosts return for a holiday celebration during the 2024 Christmas at Old Fort Croghan, which is Dec. 14 starting at 5 p.m. Pathways are lined with luminarias and cabins decorated for the holidays, 1850s-style.
Both Fort Croghan Day and the Christmas event are free, but donations to keep the museum running are always welcome.