Union troops returned in May, 1867 but, remained only until December, when Fort Concho was established not far to the south. Fort Chadbourne; however, continued to serve as a station on the San Antonio-El Paso stage line and the Army sometimes used it as a sub-post.

In 1999, the Fort Chadbourne Foundation was established to preserve, stabilize, and partially restore the historic site and present it to the public. The fort site is open to the public for self guided tours during daylight hours, seven days a week and there is no charge for touring the site but donations are gladly accepted.

The walls of four limestone buildings, two barracks and two officers' quarters, stand in their entirety, as well as several partial walls. Piles of stone rubble outline other structures. One of the barracks has been re-roofed and is used as a cattle barn. All of the ruins are currently under a stabilization project. Metal detecting is not allowed. A temporary visitor’s center/museum that houses many artifacts found at the fort and is located in the rock office, just east of the fence line from the barrack buildings.

The old post is located in Coke County, just off U.S. 277, about 2 ½ miles north of its junction with Texas Highway 70, some four miles northeast of the town of Fort Chadbourne.

Fort Chadbourne Foundation

651 Fort Chadbourne Road

Bronte, Texas  76933

325-743-2555

Fort Chadbourne, established in 1852, is located between Abilene and

 San Angelo.  It also served as a stop for the Butterfield Overland Stage.

 Kathy Weiser, November, 2009.

Fort Cibolo (1850s-1880s) - Located on Cibolo Creek four miles northwest of present-day Shafter, this private fort was built by Anglo-American rancher, Milton Faver to protect himself and area settlers from Indian raids. It was named for the Spanish word meaning "buffalo." The fortress was surrounded by 20 feet high walls, which were 3-4 feet thick, and set with  broken bottles to prevent attackers from scaling them. Corner towers and small windows in the walls allowed defenders to shoot from inside. Behind the walls was a one-story adobe structure with strong fortified doors and windows. The self-sufficient fort, also cared for livestock to the north of the fort, farmed various types of vegetables, and acted as a trading post, sometimes trading with the area Indians. Though a private citadel, it also served as an outpost for army detachments from Fort Davis. During the Civil War, Fort Davis was abandoned and during this time, when Indian attacks occurred there was little resistance other than that of Faver and his men at Fort Cibolo. After the war, Fort Davis was reoccupied by Federal troops, and Fort Cibola often re-supplied patrolling troops. Milton Faver died in December, 1889. The land eventually became part of a ranch.