Fort Parker State Park

Fort Parker State Park
Fort Parker State Park

Location	Limestone County, Texas
Nearest city	Mexia, Texas
Coordinates	31°36′13″N 96°33′03″W / 31.60361°N 96.55083°W / 31.60361; -96.55083Coordinates: 31°36′13″N 96°33′03″W / 31.60361°N 96.55083°W / 31.60361; -96.55083
Area	1,458.8 acres (590.4 ha)^[1]
Established	1941
Governing body	Texas Parks and Wildlife Department^[2]

Fort Parker State Park is a Texas state park near Mexia. The city of Mexia and three local landowners donated the land creating the park in 1935.^[2] From 1935 to 1942, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 3807(C) built roads, recreational facilities, the concession building and a 423-foot (129 m) dam of limestone, concrete and dirt across the Navasota River, creating Lake Fort Parker. The park was dedicated by former Texas Governor Pat Neff and opened to the public in May 1941.^[1] The CCC Company also rebuilt nearby Old Fort Parker for the Texas Centennial observance in 1936.

Old Fort Parker, their spring is located on the left

Fort Parker State Park has three hike and bike trails; Springfield trail (1.5-mile loop), Navasota River Trail (.5 mile one way) and Baines Creek Trail (2.5 miles one way). The Bur Oak Trail (.5-mile loop) is a nature trail with an interpretive guide pamphlet available.

Trees in the park include Bur Oak, Water Oak, Blackjack Oak, Pecan, Eastern Red Cedar. Other plants that can be found are American Beautyberry, and sumac.

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 the town's businesses began to close. After the war, there was racial conflict and lawlessness. 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 and is a great place for kids to learn about wildlife in the park. 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.

Gallery

Old Fort Parker Blockhouse
Old Fort Parker interior
John Parker marker

References

1 2 "Fort Parker State Park, a Texas". Archived from the original on 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
1 2 "TPWD: Fort Parker State Park". Retrieved 2010-04-26.

External links

Protected areas of Texas

Federal

National Parks	Big Bend Guadalupe Mountains

National Monuments and Memorials	Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Chamizal National Memorial Waco Mammoth National Monument

National Historical Parks and Historic Sites	Fort Davis NHS Lyndon B. Johnson NHP Palo Alto Battlefield NHP San Antonio Missions NHP

National Historic Trails	El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

National Recreation Areas	Amistad Lake Meredith

National Wildlife Refuges	Anahuac Aransas Attwater Prairie Chicken Balcones Canyonlands Big Boggy Brazoria Buffalo Lake Caddo Lake Grulla Hagerman Laguna Atascosa Lower Rio Grande Valley McFaddin Muleshoe Neches River San Bernard Santa Ana Texas Point Trinity River

National Forests	Angelina Davy Crockett Sabine Sam Houston

National Grasslands	Caddo Lyndon B. Johnson McClellan Creek Rita Blanca

Other Protected Areas	Big Thicket National Preserve Padre Island National Seashore Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

State

State Parks and Natural Areas	Abilene Atlanta Balmorhea Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center Bastrop Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley Big Bend Ranch Big Spring Blanco Boca Chica Bonham Brazos Bend Buescher Caddo Lake Caprock Canyons Cedar Hill Choke Canyon Cleburne Colorado Bend Cooper Lake Copper Breaks Daingerfield Davis Mountains Devils River State Natural Area Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area Dinosaur Valley Eisenhower Enchanted Rock State Natural Area Estero Llano Grande Fairfield Lake Falcon Fort Boggy Fort Parker State Park Fort Richardson State Park Franklin Mountains Galveston Island Garner Goliad Goose Island Government Canyon State Natural Area Guadalupe River Hill Country State Natural Area Honey Creek State Natural Area Huntsville Indian Lodge Inks Lake Kickapoo Cavern Lake Arrowhead Lake Bob Sandlin Lake Brownwood Lake Casa Blanca International Lake Colorado City Lake Corpus Christi Lake Livingston Lake Mineral Wells Lake Somerville Lake Tawakoni Lake Texana Lake Whitney Lockhart Longhorn Cavern Lost Maples State Natural Area Martin Creek Lake Martin Dies, Jr. Matagorda Island McKinney Falls Meridian Mission Tejas Monahans Sandhills Mother Neff State Park Mustang Island Old Tunnel Palmetto Palo Duro Canyon Pedernales Falls Possum Kingdom Purtis Creek Ray Roberts Lake Resaca de la Palma San Angelo Sea Rim Sheldon Lake South Llano River Stephen F. Austin Tyler Village Creek Walter Umphrey Wyler Aerial Tramway

State Historic Sites	Acton Admiral Nimitz Barrington Living History Farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos Battleship TEXAS Caddoan Mounds Casa Navarro Confederate Reunion Grounds Eisenhower Birthplace Fanthorp Inn Fannin Battleground Fort Griffin Fort Lancaster Fort Leaton Fort McKavett Fort Richardson State Park Fulton Mansion Goliad Hueco Tanks Kreische Brewery Landmark Inn Levi Jordan Plantation Lipantitlan Lyndon B. Johnson Magoffin Homestead Mission Espiritu Santo Mission Rosario Monument Hill Penn Farm Point Isabel Lighthouse Sabine Pass Battleground Sam Bell Maxey House Samuel T. Rayburn House San Felipe San Jacinto Battleground Sauer-Beckmann Farm Seminole Canyon Starr Family Home Varner–Hogg Plantation Washington-on-the-Brazos Zaragoza Birthplace

State Forests and Arboretums	E.O. Siecke I.D. Fairchild John Henry Kirby Masterson W. Goodrich Jones Ruth Bowling Nichols Arboretum Olive Scott Petty Arboretum

State Wildlife Trails	Great Texas Coastal Heart of Texas Panhandle Plains Prairies and Pineywoods

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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