Fort Richardson

Fort Richardson is a historic site located in Jacksboro, Texas. It is a post-Civil War era site occupied from 1867 to 1878 and when the site was vacated, the site was recognized as the Fort Richardson State Historic Park. Fort Richardson was a place of refuge for recently out-of-work soldiers who turned to this area to continue serving in various United States Calvaries. Fort Richardson specifically functioned as the headquarters to the Fourth, Sixth, and Tenth Calvaries as well as the Eleventh and Twenty-fourth Infantry. Family life was also a significant part of the livelihood of this site. The excavation was conducted in 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1975 and led by archaeologist Dessamae Lorrain. Excavation was funded and executed by the Archaeology Research Program at Southern Methodist University.

Fort Richardson, Texas.
Fort Richardson, Texas.

Fort Richardson Artifacts

Metal Artifacts

Letter C, Number 6

Material: Brass

Brass letter "C" and number "6" from Fort Richardson
Brass letter “C” and number “6” from Fort Richardson

These stamped brass pieces were either from a company or regiment number, worn on a soldier’s hat depicted below. While this hat was not found at the Fort Richardson site, this Civil-War era soldier’s hat, called a forage cap, is similar to what would have been worn at Fort Richardson.

Example Civil War—era forage cap
Example Civil War—era forage cap

Cartridge and Casing

Material: Brass

This center-fire rifle cartridge is from a .50-70 musket, the official U.S. military rifle from 1866 to 1873.  The casing is from a different ammunition (.30-06) adopted by the military in 1906. Cartridges like this one were used for the 1903 Springfield service rifle.

Ammunition from Fort Richardson. Top: .50-70 musket cartridge; Bottom: .30-06 rifle casing.
Ammunition from Fort Richardson. Top: .50-70 musket cartridge; Bottom: .30-06 rifle casing.
Lead musket ball from Fort Richardson
Lead musket ball from Fort Richardson

Musket Ball

Material: Lead

This .60 caliber musket ball has no identifying marks but could have been used by a soldier at the fort.

Coins

Material: Nickel

Nickels, such as these from 1867 and 1902, help archaeologists date sites.

Coins from the Fort Richardson excavations. Left: 1867 U.S. nickel; Right: 1902 U.S. nickel.
Coins from the Fort Richardson excavations. Left: 1867 U.S. nickel; Right: 1902 U.S. nickel.

Keys

Material: Iron and Brass

Iron keys on a brass chain from the Fort Richardson excavations
Iron keys on a brass chain from the Fort Richardson excavations

This set of keys is on a brass chain and they have hollow ends to fit over a spline. The solitary key below is made from brass.

Brass key from the Fort Richardson excavations
Brass key from the Fort Richardson excavations

Door Lock

Material: Iron

This iron door-lock fragment would have opened one of the doors in the original fort.

Lock platen from the Fort Richardson excavations
Lock platen from the Fort Richardson excavations

Ceramic Artifacts

Creamware

Material: Ceramic

Hand-painted creamware from the Fort Richardson excavations.
Hand-painted creamware from the Fort Richardson excavations.

This fragment is an example of hand-painted ceramic and was probably an heirloom piece.

Doorknob fragment from Fort Richardson
Doorknob fragment from Fort Richardson

Doorknob

Material: Porcelain

These doorknob fragments help archaeologists locate where a building’s doors would have been.

Glass Artifacts

Vaseline Jar

Vaseline jar fragment from Fort Richardson.
Vaseline jar fragment from Fort Richardson.

Material: Glass

The imprint label on the glass indicates this jar was made by the Chesebrough Company in New York. Vaseline jars like these were manufactured by Robert Chesebrough, who discovered petroleum jelly. He began marketing Vaseline in 1872 as a salve.

Bottle

Material: Glass

The distinctive lip ring and olive-green coloration on this bottle identifies it as a champagne bottle. The historical record indicates that the excavated area is where the officers quarters were located. This is confirmed by the presence of fine materials, such as this champagne bottle.

Champagne bottle fragment from Fort Richardson.
Champagne bottle fragment from Fort Richardson.

Marble

Glass marble from Fort Richardson.
Glass marble from Fort Richardson.

Material: Glass

Artifacts, like this marble with a blue glass twist, give insight into children’s lives on the site.

Further Reading

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fort-richardson

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/fort-richardson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Richardson_(Texas)

References

Dickson, Bruce D., and William Westbury

1976 Archaeological Reserach at Fort Richardson State Park, Summer 1975: Excavation of Enlisted Man’s Barracks (L4), Picket Officer’s Quarters (J1), and Officers’ Kitchen (K5). Anthropology Laboratory Texas A&M University, Report No. 28.

About the Author

Katie Davis (SMU 2023) earned her Bachelors of Science in anthropology and psychology with a minor in art history. Katie is worked for the SMU Archaeology Research Collections as an undergraduate research assistant and her first project was creating this digital exhibit. On-campus, Katie was also a Resident Assistant in underclassman housing, a member of the University Conduct Board, and a general member of Student Foundation.

Hillary Barron (SMU 2021) is an empathetic researcher dedicated to preserving and telling the stories of cultures who no longer have a voice. She received her B.A. in anthropology and religious studies. She plans to embark on a career in curation or collections management within museums. She is driven to pursue an M.A in museum studies because of her passion for preservation and care of material culture. As Vice President of Membership for the Anthropology Club at SMU, she was able to advocate the importance of anthropological research to different majors to the SMU student body.