Fort Parker State Park is a
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
state park near
Mexia
Mexia ( ) is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,893 at the 2020 census.
The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place to live, no matter how you pronou ...
and to Limestone County seat
Groesbeck, Texas. The city of Mexia and three local landowners donated the land creating the park in 1935.
From 1935 to 1942,
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
Company 3807(C) built roads, recreational facilities, the concession building and a dam of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
,
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
, and soil across the
Navasota River, creating Lake Fort Parker. The park was dedicated by former Texas Governor
Pat Neff
Pat Morris Neff (November 26, 1871 – January 20, 1952) was an American politician, educator and administrator, and the 28th Governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925, ninth President of Baylor University from 1932 to 1947, and twenty-fifth presid ...
and opened to the public in May 1941.
Fort Parker State Park has three hike-and-bike trails: Springfield trail (1.5-mile loop), Navasota River Trail (0.5 mile one way), and Baines Creek Trail (2.5 miles one way). The Bur Oak Trail (0.5-mile loop) is a nature trail with an interpretive guide pamphlet available.
Trees in the park include
bur oak
''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub o ...
,
water oak
''Quercus nigra'', the water oak, is an oak in the red oak group (''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''), native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Ken ...
,
blackjack oak,
pecan
The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...
, and
eastern red cedar (juniper). Other plants that can be found are
American beautyberry and
sumac
Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Eas ...
.
Inside the park is the Old Springfield Cemetery, all that remains of the once-thriving community of Springfield, Texas. Springfield was once the county seat of
Limestone County and thrived during the 1840s and 1850s, but as men left for the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, the town's businesses began to close. After the war, racial conflict and lawlessness occurred. The railroad passed Springfield by for the towns of Mexia and
Groesbeck, and the town of Springfield disappeared.
The Fort Parker Nature Center is open every weekend. Canoe, kayaks, and paddleboats are available for rental. Day use, overnight camping, group barracks, an activity center, and a picnic pavilion are all available for rent.
Old Fort Parker
The CCC Company also rebuilt nearby Old Fort Parker, the site of the
Fort Parker massacre, for the Texas Centennial observance in 1936. As an independent nonprofit, Old Fort Parker is not part of the state park.
Gallery
File: Old_Fort_Parker_Historic_Site_1708131329_(35797170354).jpg, Old Fort Parker Blockhouse
File: Old_Fort_Parker_Historic_Site_1708131224_(36235754980).jpg, Old Fort Parker interior
File:OFP Marker.jpg, John Parker marker
File:Battle of Pease River.jpg, Texas historical marker in Crowell, Texas
Crowell ( ) is a city in Foard County, Texas, United States. It serves as the county seat, and the population was 948 at the 2010 census, down from 1,141 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Crowell is located near the center of Foard County at (33.9 ...
References
External links
Park homepageTexas in Review - Fort Parker (1958) television film from the
Texas Archive of the Moving Image
The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 by film archivist and University of Texas at Austin professor Caroline Frick, PhD. TAMI's mission is to preserve, study, and exhibit Texas film h ...
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Texas state historic sites
Protected areas of Limestone County, Texas
State parks of Texas
Protected areas established in 1941
1941 establishments in Texas
Forts in Texas