The Fort
In January 1849 Worth proposed a line of ten forts to mark the Western Texas frontier from Eagle Pass to the confluence of the West Fork and Clear Fork of the Trinity River. One month later Worth died from cholera. Worth was a well respected and decorated U.S. Army General at the time of his death and a hero of three wars. Fort Worth, Texas; Lake Worth, Florida; and Worth County, Georgia are named in his honor.
Upon Worth's death, General William S. Harney assumed command of the Department of Texas and ordered Major Ripley S. Arnold to find a new fort site near the West Fork and Clear Fork. On June 6, 1849, Arnold established a camp on the bank of the Trinity River and named the post Camp Worth in honor of General Worth.
In August 1849 Arnold moved the camp to the North-facing bluff which overlooked the mouth of the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. The U.S. War Department officially named the post Fort Worth on November 14, 1849.
Although Indian attacks were still a threat in the area, pioneers were already settling near the fort which was flooded the first year and moved to the top of the bluff where the courthouse sits today. No trace of the original fort remains.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
