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.
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Related people
- · Thomas Ticer
- · Elizabeth Fanning Ticer
- · Winship S. Petty
- · Martha McCorkle
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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