History Rats Invade Fort Travis

Happy Wednesday! I'm glad you are here, because it's time for another family adventure with the History Rats! Today we are traveling to the Bolivar Peninsula and spending the day exploring the historic fort that was named in honor of William B. Travis, the famous defender of the Alamo. We learned about William Travis during our two-part camping adventure at Fort Anahuac, if you haven't seen those yet here's the links. ( • The Texas Tea Party )( • Camping with William B... ) Today's video includes an extensive walking tour and a full blown head-review.
The Bolivar Peninsula has a long history of fortifications. Many were built on the site of the present Fort Travis Seashore Park. Fort Travis, which received a Texas Historical Marker in 1993, was the first fort established by the Republic of Texas to protect the Galveston harbor entrance. The construction of the Fort began in 1898 after the government purchased 97 acres for $36,000, by the time they had fininshed construction in 1943 several parcels of land were added to the property. There were four batteries that were built to defend the Galveston Harbor, Ernst and Davis were both built in 1898 and then the Kimble and No. 236 were completed in 1943. Fort Travis consisted of 27 building and barracks for enlisted men, officers and noncommissioned officers and a mess hall. After the 1900 storm a 17 foot wall was constructed on the south side to protect the fort from storm surge. The fort was used for both world wars. In 1949 Fort Travis was declared war surplus and sold to M and M Building Corp. After a change of ownership several times, Galveston County Court purchased the site in 1973 for a public park.
After the 1900 hurricane, a 17 foot seawall was constructed on the Gulf side of the fort. Fort Travis was occupied by soldiers in both World Wars, and served as an internment camp for several German prisoners of war during World War II. In 1973, the fort was purchased by the Galveston County Commissioners for use as a public park.
Recovery from the 1900 storm was slow. During the ensuing five years, the Army Corps of Engineers spent about one million dollars to rebuild Fort Travis.
Battery Kimble was completed in 1922. It was named after Major Edwin R. Kimble, who died during WWI. Battery Kimble contained twelve inch guns, which could have a range of 17 miles.
During WWI, Fort Travis garrisoned troops defending the Port of Galveston and its approaches. 2,500 troops were stationed at the fort during WWII. The fort was enlarged and several sizes of guns were installed. In 1949, Fort Travis was sold to private interests. It was acquired through a Moody Foundation Grant in 1976 and is currently operated by the Galveston County Parks and Cultural Services Department.
Battery 236 was designed in 1941 to defend approaches to the Galveston harbor from submarines. Battery 236 contained a power plant, magazines, fire control facilities and crew quarters. By this time, Batteries were no longer named, but numbered.
In 1961, many local residents rode out Hurricane Carla at the fort. So did their cattle and other animals. This photo shows the interior of one of the bunkers at Fort Travis. Throughout the history of the fortifications, many residents and their livestock have weathered hurricanes in the bunkers at the Fort.
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