Forest Academy Cemetery
Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This cemetery was not formally set aside until 1858. But the land probably was used as a burial ground prior to that time. Settlement of the area began in 1847 when Thomas Madison and Elizabeth (Fanning) Ticer brought their family here. Thomas Ticer died one year later, but there is no record of his burial in the county. His wife was interred in this graveyard in 1879. The first known marked grave in Forest Academy Cemetery is that of Martha McCorkle, who died in 1858. In the same year, Winship S. Petty (1804-1881) bought 865.5 acres of land in Hopkins County. Since this burial ground was a part of that acreage, he donated it to the Forest Academy community and increased the area of the cemetery to six acres. Petty later supplied the lumber from his sawmill in Angelina County to build the first community church and school building. Petty is interred here in an unmarked site. By 1910 the families who lived in this area had moved, leaving only the Methodist Church building and this cemetery as reminders of this early agricultural settlement. The burial ground was vandalized in 1971, which destroyed many of the old grave markers. It continues to stand, however, as an important element in the region's heritage.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Settlement of this area began in 1847 when Thomas and Elizabeth Ticer brought their family west, and the ground was serving as a burial place before it was formally set aside in 1858—the year of its first known marked grave. Landowner Winship S. Petty enlarged the cemetery to six acres, donated it to the Forest Academy community, and supplied lumber for its first church and school. By 1910 the families had moved on, leaving the Methodist church and this graveyard as the last traces of the settlement.
Why it matters
Forest Academy Cemetery preserves the memory of a vanished agricultural community, one of countless small settlements that briefly flourished on the East Texas frontier.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the late 1840s, Texas had only just joined the United States, and settlers were streaming into its northeastern counties. They came mostly from the older Southern and border states, looking for fertile land, timber, and a fresh start. Hopkins County was part of that wave, a landscape of prairies and woods being turned into farms.
Life in these new communities centered on a few shared institutions: a church, a school, and a burial ground. People often built them together, with donated land and borrowed labor. A place name like "Forest Academy" tells you what mattered to them. It points to the trees and to the settlers' hopes of educating their children.
Many such farm settlements thrived for a generation or two and then faded. Changing roads and railroads, shifts in farming, and the pull of growing towns drew families away. By the early twentieth century, rural Texas was dotted with communities that survived only as a church, a cemetery, and a name.
People & events
Settlement here began in 1847 when Thomas Madison Ticer and his wife, Elizabeth Fanning Ticer, brought their family to the area. Thomas died just a year later. Where he was buried is unknown, since no county record of it survives, which is a reminder of how thin the paper trail of frontier life could be. Elizabeth lived on for decades and was laid to rest in this cemetery in 1879.
The ground was probably used for burials before anyone formally set it aside. The first known marked grave belongs to Martha McCorkle, who died in 1858. That same year, Winship S. Petty bought more than 865 acres in Hopkins County, including this burial ground. He donated the cemetery to the Forest Academy community and enlarged it to six acres.
Petty's generosity went further. He owned a sawmill in Angelina County and supplied its lumber to build the community's first church and school. He is buried here himself, in an unmarked grave on the land he gave. By 1910 the families had moved on, leaving the Methodist church and this cemetery. A 1971 vandalism attack destroyed many of the old grave markers, taking with it names and dates that can never be fully recovered.
Its place in the American story
Forest Academy is one of thousands of American places that no longer exist as towns but still shaped the country. The rural settlements of the nineteenth century were where most Americans lived, worked, worshiped, and learned to read. Their disappearance is one of the great quiet transformations in the nation's history.
The cemetery also shows how frontier communities built their public life from the ground up. There was no government program here. One landowner donated land, a sawmill supplied lumber, and neighbors pooled what they had to create a church and a school. That self-organized civic life was the foundation of much of rural America.
Finally, the vandalism of 1971 shows how fragile this heritage is. Unmarked and damaged graves are common in old rural cemeteries across the country. Places like this depend on local people, historical societies, and markers like this one to keep their memory alive.
If you visit
Come to Forest Academy Cemetery with a quiet, respectful frame of mind. This is a burial ground first and a historic site second. Walk slowly and look closely. The surviving stones and the empty spaces where others once stood both tell part of the story.
Keep in mind that some of the most important people here, including Winship Petty, rest in unmarked places. It's a good moment to talk with kids about how history includes people whose names aren't written down, and why caring for old cemeteries matters.
The cemetery makes a thoughtful side trip from Sulphur Springs on a drive through northeast Texas farm country. Pair it with other rural churches and cemeteries in the area to get a feel for the scattered communities that once filled this landscape. Stay on paths where they exist, and leave everything as you found it.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Thomas Ticer
- · Elizabeth Fanning Ticer
- · Winship S. Petty
- · Martha McCorkle
Themes & tags
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