Fort Towson

Fort Towson (1824-1829, 1831-1854, 1863-1865) - A U.S.Army post established as Cantonment Towson in 1824 by Major Alexander Cummings, 7th U.S. Infantry in Choctaw County, Oklahoma. Named for General Nathan Towson, a hero of the War of 1812 and then army paymaster general. Abandoned in 1829. Reestablished in 1830 as Camp Phoenix but later renamed Fort Towson. Abandoned again in 1854 but reestablished in 1863 during the U.S. Civil War, abandoned at the end of the war in 1865.

Current Status

Stone ruins on a State Historic Site, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Historical Society acquired the property in 1967 and operates a Visitor Center and sutler's store on site.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1096237

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Location: State Historic Site, Choctaw County, Oklahoma. Maps & Images Lat: 34.0278836 Long: -95.2563440 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 499'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 658
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2,page 127

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Towson
• Oklahoma State Digital Library - Fort Towson

Visited: No

Fort Towson Picture Gallery

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