Old Fort Parker

Fort Parker was a private stockade near the headwaters of the Navasota River, built in 1834 or 1835 by Silas and James Parker. Its cabins' outer walls formed a wall pierced with loopholes. The state marker names the Kellogg, Frost, Nixon, Duty and Plummer families among the residents, and a Baptist congregation from Crawford County, Illinois, brought the Parkers.

On May 19, 1836, a large force attacked. The Handbook's fort entry counts 500 to 700 Caddo and Comanche; its Cynthia Ann Parker entry says Comanche with Kiowa and Kichai allies. The Plummer entry counts five killed. The county history names Elder John, Silas and Benjamin Parker, and calls Samuel and Robert Frost dangerously wounded, while the state marker lists the Frosts among the dead. Five people were taken: Rachel Plummer and her son James, Elizabeth Kellogg, and Silas's children John and Cynthia Ann. Comanches enslaved Rachel Plummer for 13 months, until she was ransomed in 1837. Cynthia Ann, nine, stayed about 25 years and became fully Comanche; her son Quanah became the most influential Comanche leader of the reservation era.

The fort was abandoned after the attack. A replica built in the 1930s was rebuilt in 1967, and the Fort Parker Historical Society and the city of Groesbeck have run it since 1992. It offers living history and events. The Texas Historical Commission lists hours Wednesday to Sunday, 9 to 5; call 254-729-5253 first, because the site has closed for weather.