King's Fort, an early frontier fort of the Republic of Texas, was built in June 1840 by a survey party led by Warren A. Ferris, then Nacogdoches County surveyor. Dr. William P. King of Mississippi financed the expedition and accompanied Ferris. Because the fort stood on a favorite hunting ground for area Indians, fear of attacks delayed settlement for several years. With its four cabins and a stockade, the fort served primarily as a way station and place of refuge for travelers. William King continued trying to attract settlers to the area, buying land until shortly before his death in 1841. When Charles F. Mercer's colonists began arriving nearby between 1844 and 1846, King's Fort became the center of a dispersed community known as Kingsborough. Kaufman County was formed in 1848. The town lost its bid to be county seat then and again in 1850, but won a crucial election in 1851. Under state law, Kingsborough's name was changed to Kaufman. Though her legal claim to the title was disputed, King's widow, Frances Tabor, is credited with donating 150 acres of the Kingsborough tract for the county seat townsite.