Fort McKavett was established in 1852 by the 8th U.S. Infantry on a bluff above the San Saba River to protect West Texas settlers and to serve as a waystation for travelers on the road to California, later becoming an active post during the Texas Indian Wars against Comanche and Apache raiders. General William T. Sherman famously called it the prettiest post in Texas for its commanding hilltop setting. The garrison over the years included infantry, cavalry, and African American Buffalo Soldier units along with their families, and daily post life revolved around barracks, officers' quarters, a hospital, a schoolhouse, a commissary, and other administrative buildings built largely of local stone; one of its barracks was reputed to be the longest building west of the Mississippi River at the time. The Army abandoned the fort in 1883, after which some structures fell into ruin or were later lost, including the commanding officer's quarters, which burned in 1941. Today Fort McKavett is preserved by the Texas Historical Commission as a state historic site and is regarded as one of the best-preserved and most intact examples of a Texas frontier military post. Numerous stone buildings have been restored and are open to the public, alongside stabilized ruins, and the site offers exhibits, walking tours, and living-history programs illustrating both military operations and the everyday lives of soldiers and civilians stationed there.