Construction of this battery began on April 8, 1898 and was completed on October 5, 1899. It was named for a Second Lieutenant Thomas Davis of the United States Mounted Rifles, who was killed in the Mexican War (1847). It contained two 8-inch breech loading guns of the “disappearing” type. Disappearing guns were arranged so that they stayed below the parapet of the battery for concealment and ease of loading. When it was desired to fire the weapon, it was raised into its cantilever mount above the parapet. When the gun was fired the recoil pushed it back into the pit which protected the gun crews. Ammunition magazines, crew quarters and fire control rooms were located under the battery. These guns were the most advanced of their day. They could be elevated higher than the comparable naval weapons, thus outraging them. The structure is reinforced concrete which was originally built on a series of wooden pilings in the sand. The seawall was not built around it until 1903.

From General Orders and Circulars
United States Army Division of Cuba, 1905, p. 311, 317
accessed on Google Books

General Order Number 194
War Department
Washington, December 27th, 1904.

Under the provision of Paragraph 198 Army Regulations, names of seacoast batteries are announced as follows:

On Fort Travis, Military Reservation, Texas

Battery Thomas Davis, in honor of 2D lieutenant Thomas Davis, mounted riflemen, who died April 28th, 1847, of wounds received an action at Cerro Gordo, Mexico, April 18th 1847.

From the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form:
Fort Travis Historic District
Port Bolivar, Galveston County, Texas

Battery Davis (1898) was built on wooden pilings driven in sand. When construction was completed Battery Davis was a 27.8 feet high reinforced concrete and steel beam structure. Three magazine chambers are located on the ground floor. The armament of Battery Davis was composed of two 8-inch guns of the "disappearing" type. These guns could be elevated giving them a greater range than older guns of the day. The battery had a gallery that lead to the gun emplacements, which collapsed several years ago.

The first level of the gallery is composed of the principal stations to support guns. At the northwest corner stands a small one-level square structure that is part of the battery, but with a separate roof, measuring approximately 20x20 feet. It has one doorway facing west and two windows facing north. The roof of this structure makes it distinguishable because it is not completely flat, but it rises and stretches from the battery. Plans of this battery drawn in 1939 a small semi-circular concrete medallion (no longer extant) at the center of the roof.

On the first level and inside the battery are three chambers, accessed through a corridor that runs the length of the battery. Seven doorways lead into this corridor, but none of the original doors remain. This corridor also leads to two inner staircases that lead to the two separate gun emplacements. These inner staircases were used to bring ammunition to the guns. Two of the chambers are identical in size, approximately 9x14 feet. The middle chamber measures 20x14 feet. The gun emplacements are located at both ends of the battery. The northeast gun emplacement faces the Gulf Coast. The southwest gun emplacement faces the entrance to Galveston Bay. The 8-inch guns were removed when the Fort was decommissioned.

The structural integrity of Battery Davis is fair, although this battery is in a state of considerable deterioration. Records appear to indicate that by 1921 the battery was no longer in use. No doors remain, and the concrete shows many stress fractures and cracks. Part of the gallery collapsed several years ago, thus making the battery to dangerous for visitors to enter. No restoration or stabilization of this battery has been conducted due to the lack of funding. Although in a condition of disrepair, the battery still retains significant aspects of its integrity.

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