76-473: Mexia ( / m ə ˈ h eɪ ə / mə- HAY -ə ) is a city in Limestone County , Texas , United States. The population was 6,893 at the 2020 census. The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name as / ˈ m ɛ k s i ə / ( MEK -see-ə ), is "A great place to live, no matter how you pronounce it." Named after General José Antonio Mexía ,
152-735: A Caddo - Delaware religious leader who traveled extensively around the same time as Parker during the early days of the Native American Church movement. Quanah Parker's most famous teaching regarding the spirituality of the Native American Church: The White Man goes into his church house and talks about Jesus , but the Indian goes into his tipi and talks to Jesus. The modern reservation era in Native American history began with
228-620: A Comanche claiming to be a medicine man, called for all the Comanche bands to gather together for a Sun Dance , even though that ritual was Kiowa , and was not a Comanche practice. The bands gathered in May on the Red River, near present-day Texola, Oklahoma . At that gathering, Isatai'i and Quanah Parker recruited warriors for raids into Texas to avenge slain relatives. Other Comanche chiefs, notably Isa-Rosa ("White Wolf") and Tabananika ("Sound of
304-660: A Mexican hero for the Republic of Texas Army during the Texas Revolution , the town was founded near his estate. Nearby attractions include Fort Parker Historical recreation, the Confederate Reunion grounds, and Mexia State Supported Living Center (formerly Mexia State School), which began as a prisoner of war camp for members of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel 's Afrika Korps during World War II . Mexia
380-475: A bedroom for each of his seven wives and their children. He had his own private quarters, which were rather plain. Beside his bed were photographs of his mother Cynthia Ann Parker and younger sister Topʉsana. Quanah Parker extended hospitality to many influential people, both Native American and European American. Among the latter were the Texas surveyor W. D. Twichell and the cattleman Charles Goodnight . During
456-457: A boat used to transport them across the lake, which was also occupied by three officers, capsized less than 100 feet from shore. Two police officers and one probation officer who had been in the boat were tried for the offense of criminally negligent homicide, but all were acquitted by a jury in Dallas. Mexia also made news when its former resident Anna Nicole Smith died, and when Allen Stanford
532-447: A bull. Parker was visiting his uncle, John Parker, in Texas where he was attacked, giving him severe wounds. To fight an onset of blood burning fever, a Mexican curandera was summoned and she prepared a strong peyote tea from fresh peyote to heal him. Thereafter, Quanah Parker became involved with peyote, which contains hordenine , mescaline or phenylethylamine alkaloids , and tyramine which act as natural antibiotics when taken in
608-470: A combined form. Quanah Parker taught that the sacred peyote medicine was the sacrament given to the Indian peoples and was to be used with water when taking communion in a traditional Native American Church medicine ceremony. Quanah Parker was a proponent of the "half-moon" style of the peyote ceremony. The "cross" ceremony later evolved in Oklahoma because of Caddo influences introduced by John Wilson ,
684-610: A dominant figure in the Red River War , clashing repeatedly with Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie . With European-Americans hunting American bison , the Comanches' primary sustenance, into near extinction, Quanah Parker eventually surrendered and peaceably led the Kwahadi to the reservation at Fort Sill , Oklahoma. Quanah Parker was never elected chief by his people but was appointed by the federal government as principal chief of
760-469: A flag of peace. The Indians subsequently attacked the fort, killing or kidnapping all but about 18 settlers who escaped to Fort Houston. Captured in the Fort Parker massacre were Elizabeth Kellogg, Rachel Plummer and her son James Pratt Plummer, John Richard Parker and his sister Cynthia Ann Parker , who later became mother of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker . Limestone County was part of
836-427: A household in the city was $ 22,785, and the median income for a family was $ 29,375. Males had a median income of $ 26,479 versus $ 18,138 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 12,235. About 20.8% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 28.5% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over. Mexia was founded as a town in the 19th century. Inhabitants occupied
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#1732779545852912-400: A household in the county was $ 29,366, and for a family was $ 36,924. Males had a median income of $ 28,069 versus $ 18,893 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 14,352. About 14.40% of families and 17.80% of the population were below the poverty line , including 22.90% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over. School districts include: The entire county is in
988-700: A letter from the President stating his own concern about the issue. The wolf hunt was believed to be one of the reasons that Roosevelt created the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge . Quanah Parker took two wives in 1872 according to Baldwin Parker, one of Quanah Parker's sons. His first wife was Ta-ho-yea (or Tohayea ), the daughter of Mescalero Apache chief Old Wolf. He had wed her in Mescalero by visiting his Apache allies since
1064-540: A number of buildings in the county. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 933 square miles (2,420 km ), of which 905 square miles (2,340 km ) are land and 28 square miles (73 km ) (3.0%) are covered by water. As of the census of 2000, 22,051 people, 7,906 households, and 5,652 families resided in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9.3 people/km ). The 9,725 housing units averaged 11 units per square mile (4.2/km ). The racial makeup of
1140-742: A population boom - from just 3,482 people to 35,000 in 1922. Martial law had to be briefly declared in Mexia. The population began to decline during the Great Depression . Camp Mexia, a German prisoner of war camp was built during World War II . The Work Projects Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps helped ease the county economy during the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps built Fort Parker State Recreation Area. The WPA erected
1216-401: A warrior. He left and rejoined the Kwahadi band with warriors from another band. Quanah Parker surrendered to Mackenzie and was taken to Fort Sill, Indian Territory where he led the Comanches successfully for a number of years on the reservation. Quanah Parker was never elected principal chief of the Comanche by the tribe. The U.S. government appointed him principal chief of the entire nation once
1292-597: Is a county in the U.S. state of Texas . As of the 2020 census , its population was 22,146. Its county seat is Groesbeck . The county was created in 1846. Indians friendly to the settlers resided in East Texas before the Kiowa , Apache and Comanche intruded upon their territory. These tribes hunted, farmed the land, and were adept traders. The Tawakoni branch of Wichita Indians originated north of Texas, but migrated south into east Texas. From 1843 onward,
1368-566: Is also home to the Mexia Public Schools Museum, one of a few museums dedicated to the historical and social significance of a Texas public school system. Late model Anna Nicole Smith attended Mexia Public Schools. Mexia hosts a large Juneteenth celebration every year. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13 km), all land. As of
1444-458: Is now the townsite. The town was laid out in 1870 by a trustee of the Houston and Texas Central Townsite Company, which offered lots for sale in 1871, as the Houston and Texas Central Railway was completed between Hearne and Groesbeck. The Mexia post office began operation in 1872, and the community was incorporated with a mayoral form of government in 1873 by an act of the legislature. J.C. Yarbro
1520-590: Is zoned to schools in the Mexia Independent School District . Schools include: Pre-integration: Post-Secondary Education: The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mexia has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Limestone County, Texas Limestone County
1596-416: The 2020 United States census , there were 6,893 people, 2,487 households, and 1,586 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2008, there were 6,552 people, 2,427 households, and 1,660 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,273.9 inhabitants per square mile (491.9/km). There were 2,750 housing units at an average density of 533.8 per square mile (206.1/km). The racial makeup of
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#17327795458521672-769: The Haden Harrison Edwards (800 families) and Robertson's Colony (800 families) empresario grants made by the Coahuila y Texas legislature in 1825. By contracting how many families each grantee could settle, the government sought to have some control over colonization. Baptist spiritual leader Daniel Parker and eight other men organized the Pilgrim Predestinarian Regular Baptist Church in Lamotte, Illinois . The fellowship in its entirety migrated in 1833 to
1748-566: The Pease River Massacre . American forces were led by Sgt. John Spangler, who commanded Company H of the U.S. 2nd Cavalry , and Texas Rangers under Sul Ross would claim that at the end of the battle, he wounded Peta Nocona, who was thereafter killed by Spangler's Mexican servant but this was disputed by eyewitnesses among the Texas Rangers and by Quanah Parker. It was believed that Quanah Parker and his brother Pecos were
1824-581: The Red River in Oklahoma. Quanah Parker, like many of his contemporaries, was originally opposed to the opening of tribal lands for grazing by Anglo ranching interests. Quanah Parker changed his position and forged close relationships with a number of Texas cattlemen, such as Charles Goodnight and the Burnett family. As early as 1880, Quanah Parker was working with these new associates in building his own herds. In 1884, due largely to Quanah Parker's efforts,
1900-624: The Red River War , which culminated in a decisive Army victory in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon . On September 28, 1874, Mackenzie and his Tonkawa scouts razed the Comanche village at Palo Duro Canyon and killed nearly 1,500 Comanche horses, the main form of the Comanche wealth and power. With their food source depleted, and under constant pressure from the army, the Kwahadi Comanche finally surrendered in 1875. With Colonel Mackenzie and Indian Agent James M. Hayworth, Parker helped settle
1976-702: The Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma. In a letter to rancher Charles Goodnight , Quanah Parker writes, "From the best information I have, I was born about 1850 on Elk Creek just below the Wichita Mountains." Alternative sources cite his birthplace as Laguna Sabinas/Cedar Lake in Gaines County , Texas. Cynthia Ann Parker and Nocona also had another son, Pecos ( Pecan ), and a daughter, Topsana (Prairie Flower). In December 1860, Cynthia Ann Parker and Topsana were captured during
2052-595: The 1860s and had got her for five mules. After a year of marriage and a visit of Mescalero Apache in the Quohada camps, Ta-ho-yea asked to return home, citing as her reason her inability to learn the Comanche language. Quanah Parker sent her back to her people. Quanah Parker's other wife in 1872 was Wec-Keah or Weakeah , daughter of Penateka Comanche subchief Yellow Bear (sometimes Old Bear ). Although first espoused to another warrior, she and Quanah Parker eloped, and took several other warriors with them. Yellow Bear pursued
2128-617: The Apache at about this time. This association may have related to his taking up the Native American Church , or peyote religion. Quanah Parker was said to have taken an Apache wife, but their union was short-lived. The Apache dress, bag and staff in the exhibit may be a remnant of this time in Quanah Parker's early adult life. With the buffalo nearly exterminated and having suffered heavy loss of horses and lodges at
2204-691: The Comanche on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Reservation in southwestern Indian Territory . Quanah Parker's home in Cache, Oklahoma was called the Star House . Parker went on hunting trips with President Theodore Roosevelt , who often visited him. Nevertheless, he rejected both monogamy and traditional Protestant Christianity in favor of the Native American Church Movement, of which he
2280-610: The Fort Parker settlement near the Navasota river. The area is near where the rolling hills of the great plains begin. The hills provided grazing land for the buffalo herds, which plains Indians depended upon for sustenance. Many hunting artifacts from Native American people have been found in the creek beds and draws around Mexia. The Comanche tribe came into conflict with the white settlers in this area. The abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker took place at Fort Parker. Comanches raided
2356-411: The Kwahadi warrior chief Peta Nocona , also known as Puhtocnocony, Noconie, Tah-con-ne-ah-pe-ah, or Nocona (" Lone Wanderer "). Quanah Parker's paternal grandfather was the Kwahadi chief Iron Jacket (Puhihwikwasu'u), a warrior of the earlier Comanche-American Wars , famous among his people for wearing a Spanish coat of mail . Cynthia Ann Parker and Nocona's first child was Quanah Parker, born in
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2432-459: The Parkers. The correspondence between Quanah Parker and Samuel Burk Burnett, Sr. (1849–1922) and his son Thomas Loyd Burnett (1871–1938), expressed mutual admiration and respect. The historical record mentions little of Quanah Parker until his presence in the attack on the buffalo hunters at Adobe Walls on June 27, 1874. Fragmented information exists indicating Quanah Parker had interactions with
2508-502: The Star House. President Roosevelt and Quanah Parker went wolf hunting together with Burnett near Frederick, Oklahoma . During the occasion, the two discussed serious business. Quanah Parker wanted the tribe to retain ownership of 400,000 acres (1,600 km ) that the government planned to sell off to homesteaders, an argument he eventually lost. Quanah Parker asked for help combating unemployment among his people and later received
2584-621: The Sunrise") of the Yamparika , and Big Red Meat of the Nokoni band, identified the buffalo hide merchants as the real threat to their way of life. They suggested that if Quanah Parker were to attack anybody, he should attack the merchants. A war party of around 250 warriors, composed mainly of Comanches and Cheyennes, who were impressed by Isatai'i's claim of protective medicine to protect them from their enemies' bullets, headed into Texas towards
2660-824: The Tawakoni were part of treaties made by both the Republic of Texas and the United States . Tawakoni were also sometimes known as Tehuacana. The Limestone County town of Tehuacana was settled on the former site of a Tehuacana village. The Waco people were also a branch of the Wichita Indians . Arguably the most infamous Indian depredation in Texas took place in Limestone County on May 19, 1836, when an odd alliance of Comanche, Kiowa, Caddo , and Wichita approached Fort Parker surreptitiously under
2736-486: The Texas Rangers against her will to Cynthia Ann Parker's brother's home. After 24 years with the Comanche, Cynthia Ann Parker refused re-assimilation. Topsana died of an illness in 1863. Cynthia Ann Parker died by suicide through voluntary starvation in March 1871. In the Comanche language, kwana means "an odor" or "a smell". Comanche warriors often took on more active, masculine names in maturity, but Quanah Parker retained
2812-684: The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway built track between Hillsboro and Houston, making Mexia a commercial crossroads for area farmers. In 1912 the Mexia Gas and Oil Company drilled ten dry holes, but in the eleventh attempt discovered a large natural gas deposit. The Mexia oilfield was discovered in 1920, by Colonel Albert E. Humphreys and his geologist F. Julius Fohs . Oil production peaked in November 1921 at 53,000 BOPD . The population of Mexia increased from 3,482 to nearly 35,000. The rapid growth
2888-570: The United States government. Following the capture of the Kiowa chiefs Sitting Bear , Big Tree , and Satanta , the last two paroled in 1873 after two years thanks to the firm and stubborn behaviour of Guipago , the Kiowa, Comanche, and Southern Cheyenne tribes joined forces in several battles. Colonel Ranald Mackenzie led U.S. Army forces in rounding up or killing the remaining Indians who had not settled on reservations. In 1873, Isatai'i ,
2964-403: The adoption of the Native American Church and Christianity by nearly every Native American tribe and culture within the United States and Canada as a result of Quanah Parker and Wilson's efforts. The peyote religion and the Native American Church were never the traditional religious practice of North American Indian cultures. This religion developed in the nineteenth century, inspired by events of
3040-492: The band and eventually Quanah Parker made peace with him. The two bands united, forming the largest force of Comanche Indians. Over the years, Quanah Parker married six more wives: Chony, Mah-Chetta-Wookey, Ah-Uh-Wuth-Takum, Coby, Toe-Pay, and Tonarcy. A photograph, c. 1890 , by William B. Ellis of Quanah Parker and two of his wives identified them as Topay and Chonie . Quanah Parker had eight wives and twenty-five children (some of whom were adopted). After moving to
3116-546: The city was 55.90% White , 31.68% African American , 0.23% Native American , 0.20% Asian , 10.67% from other races , and 1.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.90% of the population. There were 2,427 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who
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3192-558: The community's principal employers. The population was reported as 6,618 in the early 1950s, 5,943 in the early 1970s, 7,172 in the late 1980s, and 6,933 in 1990. In 2000 the population was listed as 6,563. Mexia made national news in 1981, when three young black men drowned in Lake Mexia after being taken into custody by law enforcement officers for possession of marijuana during the annual Juneteenth celebration. Carl Baker, 19; Anthony Freeman, 18; and Steven Booker, 19; drowned after
3268-518: The county was 70.75% White 19.07% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 8.11% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. About 12.97% of the population was Latino of any race. Of the 7,906 households, 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were not families. About 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who
3344-418: The entire Comanche Nation. He became a primary emissary of southwest indigenous Americans to the United States legislature. In civilian life, he gained wealth as a rancher, settling near Cache, Oklahoma . Though he encouraged Christianization of Comanche people, he also advocated the syncretic Native American Church alternative, and fought for the legal use of peyote in the movement's religious practices. He
3420-471: The fort and took the nine-year-old Parker girl. She lived among the Comanche people into adulthood and was the mother of Quanah Parker , the last Comanche war chief. Mexia is at the intersection of US Highway 84 and State highways 14 and 171, twelve miles northeast of Groesbeck in northeastern Limestone County. It was named for the Mexía family, who in 1833 received an eleven-league land grant that included what
3496-426: The government, that on October 9, 1871, Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis declared the county under martial law. The Houston and Texas Central Railway laid tracks in 1869, terminating near Kosse which was named after the railway's chief engineer Theodore Kosse. The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, laid track in 1903 from Cleburne to Mexia. Several towns were established on these routes. The Thornton Institute
3572-432: The granite headstones used to mark the graves of his mother and sister. After years of searching, Quanah Parker had their remains moved from Texas and reinterred in 1910 in Oklahoma on the Comanche reservation at Fort Sill. According to his daughter "Wanada" Page Parker, her father helped celebrate President Theodore Roosevelt 's 1905 inauguration by appearing in the parade. In April 1905, Roosevelt visited Quanah Parker at
3648-747: The hands of the US military, Quanah Parker was one of the leaders to bring the Kwahadi (Antelope) band of Comanches into Fort Sill during late May and early June 1875. This brought an end to their nomadic life on the southern plains and the beginning of an adjustment to more sedentary life. Burk Burnett began moving cattle from South Texas in 1874 to near present-day Wichita Falls, Texas . There he established his ranch headquarters in 1881. Changing weather patterns and severe drought caused grasslands to wither and die in Texas. Burnett and other ranchers met with Comanche and Kiowa tribes to lease land on their reservation—nearly 1 million acres (400,000 ha) just north of
3724-459: The harsh land to build empires, Burnett learned Comanche ways, passing both the love of the land and his friendship with the natives to his family. As a sign of their regard for Burnett, the Comanches gave him a name in their own language: Mas-sa-suta, meaning "Big Boss". Quanah Parker earned the respect of US governmental leaders as he adapted to the white man's life and became a prosperous rancher in Oklahoma. His spacious, two-story Star House had
3800-487: The mid-1920s. The prosperity generated by the boom continued until the 1930s, when the Great Depression forced many people to leave in search of work. The number of residents stabilized at 6,500 in the early 1930s, but the number of businesses fell from 280 to 190. In 1942 a camp for prisoners of war was established at Mexia; the facility was converted in 1947 for use as the Mexia State School, which became one of
3876-447: The name his mother gave him, initially in tribute to her after her recapture. After Peta Nocona's death (c. 1864), being now Parra-o-coom ("Bull Bear") the head chief of the Kwahadi people, Horseback , the head chief of the Nokoni people, took young Quanah Parker and his brother Pecos under his wing. After Peta Nocona and Iron Jacket, Horseback taught them the ways of the Comanche warrior, and Quanah Parker grew to considerable standing as
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#17327795458523952-500: The new frontier of Texas. Among this group of settlers were Silas M. Parker, Moses Herrin, Elisha Anglin, Luther T. M. Plummer, David Faulkenberry, Joshua Hadley , and Samuel Frost. Fort Parker, near the Navasota River in what is now central Limestone County, was the earliest actual settlement in the vicinity. Following on the heels of the original settlers, other communities were established. On April 11, 1846, Limestone County
4028-628: The next 27 years Quanah Parker and the Burnetts shared many experiences. Burnett helped by contributing money for the construction of Star House, Quanah Parker's large frame home. Burnett asked for (and received) Quanah Parker's participation in a parade with a large group of warriors at the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show and other public events. The "Parade" lance depicted in the exhibit was usually carried by Quanah Parker at such public gatherings. Burnett assisted Quanah Parker in buying
4104-490: The only two to have escaped on horseback, and were tracked by Ranger Charles Goodnight but escaped to rendezvous with other Nokoni. Some, including Quanah Parker himself, claim this story is false and that he, his brother, and his father Peta Nocona were not at the battle, that they were at the larger camp miles away, and that Peta Nocona died years later of illness caused by wounds from battles with Apache. Cynthia Ann Parker, along with her infant daughter Topsana, were taken by
4180-474: The people had gathered on the reservation and later introduced general elections. In October 1867, when Quanah Parker was only a young man, he had come along with the Comanche chiefs as an observer at treaty negotiations at Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Horseback made a statement about Quanah Parker's refusal to sign the treaty. In the early 1870s, the Plains Indians were losing the battle for their land with
4256-415: The reservation, Quanah Parker got in touch with his white relatives from his mother's family. He stayed for a few weeks with them, where he studied English and Western culture, and learned white farming techniques . Quanah Parker is credited as one of the first important leaders of the Native American Church movement. Quanah Parker adopted the peyote religion after having been gored in southern Texas by
4332-535: The service area of Navarro College , according to the Texas Education Code. 31°32′N 96°35′W / 31.54°N 96.58°W / 31.54; -96.58 Quanah Parker Quanah Parker ( Comanche : Kwana , lit. ' smell, odor ' ; c. 1845 – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation . He
4408-524: The span of a single lifetime from a Stone Age warrior to a statesman in the age of the Industrial Revolution , but he never lost a battle to the white man and he also accepted the challenge and responsibility of leading the whole Comanche tribe on the difficult road toward their new existence." Although praised by many in his tribe as a preserver of their culture, Quanah Parker also had Comanche critics. Some claimed that he "sold out to
4484-565: The time being east and west of the Mississippi River , Quanah Parker's leadership, and influences from Native Americans of Mexico and other southern tribes . They had used peyote in spiritual practices since ancient times. He advocated only using mind-altering substances for ritual purposes. Quanah Parker acted in several silent films, including The Bank Robbery (1908). At the age of 66, Quanah Parker died on February 23, 1911, at Star House . In 1911, Quanah Parker's body
4560-448: The trading post of Adobe Walls . The raid should have been a slaughter, but the saloonkeeper had heard about the coming raid and kept his customers from going to bed by offering free drinks. Around 4 am, the raiders drove down into the valley. Quanah Parker and his band were unable to penetrate the two-foot thick sod walls and were repelled by the hide merchants' long-range .50 caliber Sharps rifles . As they retreated, Quanah Parker's horse
4636-415: The tribes received their first "grass" payments for grazing rights on Comanche, Kiowa and Apache lands. It is during this period that the bonds between Quanah Parker and the Burnett family grew strong. Burnett ran 10,000 cattle until the end of the lease in 1902. The cattle baron had a strong feeling for Native American rights, and his respect for them was genuine. Where other cattle kings fought natives and
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#17327795458524712-564: The white man" by adapting and becoming a rancher. He dressed and lived in what some viewed as a more European-American than Comanche style. Critic Paul Chaat Smith called "Quanah Parker: sellout or patriot?" the "basic Comanche political question". Quanah Parker did adopt some European-American ways, but he always wore his hair long and in braids. He also refused to follow U.S. marriage laws and had up to eight wives at one time. The Quanah Parker Society, based in Cache, Oklahoma , holds an annual family reunion and powwow. Events usually include
4788-583: Was 4,537. Of these, 3,464 were White, 1,072 were slaves, and one was a free Black female. Limestone County voted 525–9 in favor of secession from the Union, and sent its men to fight for the Confederate States of America . Lochlin Johnson Farrar raised the first Confederate company from the county. Reconstruction in the county was so contentious, with racial violence and threats against
4864-458: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was distributed as 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.80 males. The median income for
4940-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males. The median income for
5016-412: Was a founder. The story of the unique friendship that grew between Quanah Parker and the Burnett family is addressed in the exhibition of cultural artifacts that were given to the Burnett family from the Parker family. The presentation of a cultural relic as significant as Quanah Parker's war lance was not done lightly. It is a clear indication of the high esteem to which the Burnett family was regarded by
5092-418: Was a member of the large Parker frontier family that settled in east Texas in the 1830s. She was captured in 1836 ( c. age eight ) by Comanches during the raid of Fort Parker near present-day Groesbeck, Texas . Given the Comanche name Nadua (Foundling), she was adopted into the Nokoni band of Comanches, as foster daughter of Tabby-nocca. Assimilated into the Comanche, Cynthia Ann Parker married
5168-722: Was arrested on allegations of fraud in 2009. The city of Mexia, the confusion over its correct pronunciation and the city motto are all the subject of an Act 1 Aria in Mark-Anthony Turnage 's Opera Anna Nicole staged by the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden, London . Various imagined residents such as the Town Mayor and head of the Chamber of Commerce also feature alongside of the Operas namesake. Mexia
5244-487: Was elected deputy sheriff of Lawton in 1902. After his death in 1911, the leadership title of Chief was replaced with chairman; Quanah Parker is thereby described as the "Last Chief of the Comanche", a term also applied to Horseback . He is buried at Chief's Knoll on Fort Sill. Many cities and highway systems in southwest Oklahoma and north Texas, once southern Comancheria , bear reference to his name. Quanah Parker's mother, Cynthia Ann Parker (born c. 1827 ),
5320-434: Was excessive for local authorities, and for a short time in 1922 Mexia was under martial law. That year, production for the Mexia field was 35 million barrels produced. Cumulative production of the field totaled 108 million barrels by the mid-1980s. In 1924 Mexia residents passed a new city charter that changed the local government to a city manager system. After the initial oil boom, the population of Mexia declined to 10,000 by
5396-506: Was formed from Robertson County . On August 18, 1846, the county was organized. Springfield became the county seat. The county seat was moved to Groesbeck in 1873 after boundary changes, and the Springfield courthouse had burned down. Homesteaders became self-sustaining farmers and ranchers, who also hunted wild game. Support businesses were connected to the repair and maintenance of farm equipment and livestock. The population of 1860
5472-640: Was founded in 1877 by Edward Coke Chambers, and was chartered in 1881 as the Thornton Male and Female Institute. The school provided a type of dormitory for the students, and sent many graduates out to teach in rural Texas. Henry P. Davis acquired the school in 1889, and in 1891 the school was given to the Thornton Independent School District. Oil and gas were discovered in Mexia between 1913 and 1920, creating jobs and
5548-562: Was interred at Post Oak Mission Cemetery near Cache, Oklahoma . In 1957, his remains were moved to Fort Sill Post Cemetery at Fort Sill , Oklahoma, along with his mother Cynthia Ann Parker and sister Topsannah ("Prairie Flower"). The inscription on his tombstone reads: Resting Here Until Day Breaks And Shadows Fall and Darkness Disappears is Quanah Parker Last Chief of the Comanches Born 1852 Died Feb. 23, 1911 Biographer Bill Neeley wrote: "Not only did Quanah pass within
5624-466: Was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwahadis, the son of Kwahadi Comanche chief Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker , an Anglo-American who had been abducted as an eight-year-old child during the Fort Parker massacre in 1836 and assimilated into the Nokoni tribe. Following the apprehension of several Kiowa chiefs in 1871, Quanah Parker emerged as
5700-460: Was shot out from under him at five hundred yards. He hid behind a buffalo carcass, and was hit by a bullet that ricocheted off a powder horn around his neck and lodged between his shoulder blade and his neck. The wound was not serious, and Quanah Parker was rescued and brought back out of the range of the buffalo guns. The attack on Adobe Walls caused a reversal of policy in Washington. It led to
5776-597: Was the first mayor. The city's first newspaper, the Ledger, was established in Fairfield in 1869 and moved to Mexia in 1872. By 1880 Mexia also had four schools, three churches, and a variety of businesses to serve its 1,800 residents; by 1885 the town had a gas works, an opera house, two banks, two sawmills, and 2,000 residents. The Mexia Democrat was established in 1887 and the Weekly News in 1898. Between 1904 and 1906
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