old fort parker

Recently participated in a new living history event here. Very nice site quiet and comfortable. There are trailer hookups and other accomadations availible. It is maintained by volunters and they could probably use more help. Am looking forward to coming back for more events. Cost to visit is minimal $2 for adults, you could easily spend an hour or two just looking around and enjoying the quiet country feeling.

Our twin 8 yr old boys were really excited when we come. We loved it!!! The entrance fee is very cheap, 2 per adult and 1 for 6-11. We strongly recommend going to see it!!!

I have been looking forward to visiting Old Fort Parker for some time and was glad to have a chance to visit last week. The reconstructed stockade really gives you a feeling of the events of 1836. Being a stickler for authenticity, I was disappointed that the cabins, filled with period furniture and personal articles, were very dusty and not as if someone was living there. The museum cabin would have been very interesting except that a number of the display cabinets had burnt out lights and the "must-see" video appeared to have been disconnected. I do realize that the site is maintained by volunteers and that without them there would be no Old Fort Parker. I did enjoy climbing the narrow steep stairs to the blockhouse and looking out the gun ports at the beautiful countryside and wondering what it must have been like in the frontier days. The small $2 entrance fee to the site is well worth it. As I was leaving, I stepped through a gate in the wall to see the shooting range and home of the Old Fort Parker Patriots vintage shooting club. I met two very nice members working on the site and was invited back to their monthly shooting match [1st weekend of the month?] and to the annual Defend Old Fort Parker celebration and shooting exhibition during the first weekend in October. I look forward to my return visit later in the year.

Went here after visiting the state park this fort has the feeling of what it was like back in the day. I usually go during the week to visit places so I had the place to myself which was nice to take pictures. It costs only $2 to get it but bring cash or a check they don't take credit or bank cards. The staff were nice. Be advised they are not open on Monday or Tuesday. They do have events there check for future dates. This would be fun to see the reenactment. the small cabins are furnished in what would be customary for the times they are protected by chicken wire to keep things from walking off. The lookout tower is open and you can go up and get a birds eye view of the fort. You really get a sense of how it was in the 1800's musky woody smells in the cabins. They are surprisingly very cool in the tower not hot like I expected felt like an air conditioned room.

We stopped in here while camping at the nearby Ft. Parker State Park. There is a small separate admission and state park passes are not accepted. Our 7 year old nephew loved it. It is quite interesting to see the recreated cabins and fort. The short video is interesting and there are a few photos and exhibits, mostly of Quannah Parker. We weren't sure whether to take the time/$ to stop but were really glad of the 90 minutes we spent here.

My mother wanted to go here after reading about Cynthia Parker. Even in the Texas heat it was enjoyable and very informative. The volunteer at the visitors center was also very knowledgeable and friendly. It's a little hard to find but worth the trip. If its not too hot, take a picnic lunch with you.

I went by here when I was at Fort Parker state park. They are seperate so you have to pay to enter both but the cost is not that much. This is a old Fort from Texas past and there is an old story about this fort an local indians. If your in the are I would suggest you stop by and see the old fort.

This is where Quana Parke's mother was captured during a raid on the fort. In subsequent years Quana became the leader of the Comanche nation. The fort and surrounding buildings offer a look of what the early settlers had to deal with.

Our family visited here during a trip through Mexia this summer. Our children, 9, 12, and 17 found it to be very moving.When you first arrive you see the recreated Fort as it looked in 1860. You walk into the visitor area which is run by volunteers. They were very helpful in helping us to know where to start and about the Parkers and the massacre that happened.Next you walk out in the main grass area within the fort where there are various recreations of living quarters and such. One of the quarters has a video that was put together by a student telling you the history of Cynthia Ann Parker.Our family was very touched by Cynthia's story, especially our daughter. Imagining what it was like to be torn from her family when she was only 9 and then heart broken later in life when separated again from her adopted Indian family.We would encourage anyone that is visiting the area to stop by here. It was $2.00 a person when we were there. A fairly low cost for such an enriching visit.

reliving history is alays fun. Hope, to go backsome day ssoon

I think this is one of the only real wooden forts. The story of Cynthia Ann Parker is fascinating.

This is what it was like during the expansion into Texas. Don't look for anything fancy. Remember the families that lived and died in this fort left their homes with what they could carry in a covered wagon in search for a better life. Visiting Fort Parker will give you an idea about what these brave people went through up until they were massacred by Indians. A must for those who study Texas history.

For anyone interested in Texas frontier history, a visit to Old Fort Parker is rewarding. It was here that Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped by Indians after a barbaric attack on the fort on May 19, 1836. The date is less than a month after the Battle of San Jacinto. One foe had been defeated by the Texans, but another remained potent and very dangerous.The reconstructed fort is substantial. Said to be a recreation of the original built by the Parkers in 1834, the fort is a rectangular space enclosed by 12-foot high split cedars with block houses on two corners and cabins along the walls. Visitors are free to self tour and step into some of the cabins which have period furnishings. Displays in one of the cabins have pictures of Cynthia Ann with her daughter after her recapture (many would say second capture) by the Texas Rangers 24 years later at the Battle of Pease River near present day Crowell. Also shown are pictures of Quanah Parker, her remarkable son who was the last warrior chief of the Comanches. An amateur DVD gives a brief sanitized version of the Cynthia Ann story for those unfamiliar with it.The entrance fee is $2 per adult at this writing. As it is a county-run facility, state park passes are not accepted. A nice visitor center has water, soft drinks and restrooms. The lady on duty when we were there was very knowledgeable. She explained the reason for the grave of the five men killed in the attack being far from the fort. It seems that the survivors buried the bodies just outside the fort before they left for Fort Houston sixty miles away. When the army later came to investigate, the graves had been disturbed, whether by animals or Indians couldn't be determined. The remains were taken to what is now Fort Parker Memorial Park, which is about a mile and half from Fort Parker, and buried in a mass grave on a hill beside a large live oak tree. A visit to Fort Parker Memorial Park takes only a little time. Today a large concrete slab covers the mass grave inscribed with the names of the five men buried there--three Parkers and two Frosts. Oddly, the location of the grave does not appear on the register of graves in the small structure at the entrance to the cemetery. To find it, drive straight to the tall monument in the center of the cemetery and turn left. The grave is located at the first right turn. It is enclosed by a low steel pipe fence.