Limestone: History and Experiences by the Water

At the Confederate Reunion Grounds, the focus is on reunions of Civil War veterans and traces of the Mexia Oil Boom. Limestone is also home to Juneteenth history and the collections of the county museum; its lakes and the Navasota River offer opportunities for fishing and paddling. This gives travelers a range of options to plan around: historic sites, museum visits, or activities on the water.

History in Several Chapters

The Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site commemorates the place where Confederate Civil War veterans and their families gathered for reunions from 1889 to 1946. The site includes a dance pavilion dating from 1902, a cannon from the American Civil War era, and ruins of structures from the Mexia Oil Boom. The reunions held over several decades and the traces of different eras give the site several historical points of interest. The Confederate Reunion Grounds is also stop 23 on the Prairies and Pineywood Wildlife Trail West.

Booker T. Washington Park was designated by deed in 1898 as a permanent place for celebrations on June 19. The date commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas in 1865. The park serves as a venue for annual Juneteenth celebrations; dates and programs may change. Historically, celebrations there often drew up to 20,000 people. The park’s history is thus connected to a tradition of celebration that continues to the present day.

The Limestone County Historical Museum displays photographs and artifacts related to Indigenous peoples, early settlers, Fort Parker, communities and schools, the railroad, agriculture, the military, the Mexia Oil Boom, and notable people. A small collection of fossils from Limestone County adds regional finds to these subjects. The Limestone County Courthouse offers another way to explore local history: the building, constructed in 1924, is designed in the Classical Revival style with Beaux-Arts influences. For architecture enthusiasts, this look at a building expands on the perspective offered by the museum’s photographs and objects.

Rivers, Lakes, and Activities

The Limestone Bluffs Paddling Trail runs for about 5.3 miles along calm water on the Navasota River between the Confederate Reunion Grounds and Fort Parker State Park. Hardwood bottomlands and limestone bluffs shape the scenery along the route. The Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site is an access point for the trail. The approximate route length, named endpoints, and landscape provide clear points of reference for this paddling stretch.

Public-use parks on Lake Limestone offer boat ramps, campsites, picnic tables, and fishing piers. The condition of facilities may change; check before your visit. Lake Limestone is home to a variety of fish, including largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, and channel, blue, and flathead catfish. In addition to the facilities on the lake, the different types of fishing offer practical points of reference for planning.

Fishing is available at Fort Parker State Park on the 750-acre Fort Parker Lake, the 3-acre Lake Springfield, and the Navasota River. The park also includes the historic town of Springfield, founded in 1838. This place combines a documented founding history with fishing opportunities on three named bodies of water.

Old Fort Parker has picnic and camping areas, a visitor center with a dining hall, restrooms, barracks, and a historic homestead. Check which facilities are currently operating before you arrive.

Lake Mexia is in Limestone County on the Navasota River, a tributary of the Brazos River. This location adds another specific reference to the area’s waterways alongside the lakes and fishing waters described above.

Discover more destinations: Kosse, Mexia, Groesbeck, Swisher County, Denton, Crane County, Sutton, and Nueces.

For the broader travel overview: Texas.