In early 1836, soon after Texas declared independence from Mexico, Republic of Texas President David Burnet sent Colonel Ed Harcourt to Galveston Island to build a fort. Using army recruits and slave labor, Harcourt constructed an octagonal earth and timber fortification at the east end of the island, armed with six- and twelve-pound gun mounts taken from the Texas Navy vessel CAYUGA and named Fort Travis in honor of William B. Travis, defender of the Alamo. After high winds damaged it in 1837, the site became a gun battery called Fort Point. In 1898-99, as federal development of the Port of Galveston began, a second Fort Travis was established across Galveston Bay at Bolivar Point near the former site of the Confederate Fort Green. Batteries Davis and Ernst were completed in 1899, and Battery Kimble was completed in 1922. Coastal defense facilities were added during World Wars I and II, and Fort Travis was decommissioned and sold as war surplus in 1949. Beyond its military role, it also served as a refuge from hurricanes and as a Civil Defense shelter for area residents.
