The Fort Parker Memorial Cemetery is located along FM1245 south of Groesbeck TX off the SH 14. The tragic site of a Comanche raid that caused the deaths of many settlers, and the famous kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker, is dominated by a towering memorial, built with appropriations by the State Legislature and Texas Schoolchildren in the 1920s and 1930s.
The site is featured on the Roadside America website with an article that reads as follows: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/67779
"Groesbeck, Texas: Massacre Graves and Statue
Settlers massacred by Comanches in 1836. Tall monument topped with a carved granite farmer, wife, and daughter [actually the Parker family -- BMB]-- likely Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped and later gave birth to Quanah Parker.
Fort Parker Memorial Cemetery
Address: TX-1245, Groesbeck, TX
Directions: From Groesbeck drive west on TX-1245 for two miles. Turn right at the Fort Parker Monument sign.
Hours: Gated after hours. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Fort Parker Cemetery
Fort Parker Cemetery is two miles out of Groesbeck on Hwy 1245. There's a historical marker and a lot of unmarked graves from the Fort. The Fort has been rebuilt; to get to it, continue on 1245 for three-quarters of a mile. Turn right onto CR 401. Drive just over a mile, then turn left onto P35. The Fort is where Cynthia Ann Parker was captured when she was 10 years old.
[Bob Whipple, 12/30/2019]
The cemetery features a tall monument, dedicated in 1922 to the "pioneer heroes of civilization," topped with a carved granite farmer, wife, and daughter. Buried beneath are the victims of the Fort Parker massacre, killed by the same Comanches that kidnapped Cynthia Ann. She then "went native" and later gave birth to Quanah Parker, known to Roadsiders for his legacy of giant arrows. April 2020: Photo added."
From the SIRIS Database, more info on the sculpture itself: Smithsonian Art Inventory
"Roy Weldert and W.H. Dietz fabricated the base of the memorial and ordered the sculpture from Italy. When the sculpture was installed in 1932, Fort Parker Memorial Park was known as Glenwood Memorial Cemetery.
The statue honors the Fort Parker "martyrs." On March 19, 1836, Comanche and Kiowa Indians attacked the fort, killing Silas M. Parker and four others, wounding three, and capturing several residents, including Cynthia Ann, the Parker's daughter.
Three members of the pioneer Parker family stand side-by-side atop shaft. Silas M. Parker, stands about to leave the Fort, holding the barrel of a rifle with his right hand, the butt of which rests on the ground. He holds the rim of his wide-brimmed hat with his left hand. He is dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, a vest, pants and knee-high boots. To his left is Lucy Parker wearing a head covering and full-length dress, her head turned towards her husband. Her left hand rests on the shoulder of their young daughter, Cynthia Ann Parker, who stands beside her. The sculpture is mounted upon a shaft with a square column at each corner. The shaft rests on a tiered base set on a wide platform with two steps on each side."