Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Texas County
Limestone County, Texas
Fort Parker and Cynthia Ann Parker's capture - from Fort Parker State Historic Site (the 1836 blockhouse fort where Comanche raiders killed five settlers and captured nine-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker in May 1836 - her 25 years among the Comanche, her marriage to Chief Peta Nocona, and her role as the mother of the last great Comanche chief Quanah Parker make the Fort Parker story one of the most dramatic in Texas history) to Lake Limestone's 13,000-acre recreation and the county's lignite coal deposits.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Fire: Limestone County ESD #2 (West Lake Limestone Volunteer Fire Department) – Groesbeck, TX 76642 | (254) 729-0165
EMS: Limestone Medical Center EMS – (254) 729-3097; operates 2-3 BLS/MICU ambulances 24/7 serving Limestone County 911 calls.
Notes: Check current burn ban status at co.limestone.tx.us before any outdoor burning; note that the Limestone County Courthouse is explicitly NOT a certified tornado shelter. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SH-14 and SH-164 cross at Groesbeck, the county seat
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Limestone County, organized August 18, 1846, originally had Springfield as its county seat; the seat moved to Groesbeck after Springfield declined when railroads bypassed it in the 1870s.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Groesbeck, Mexia, Kosse, Thornton, Coolidge, or Tehuacana, contact the relevant city hall directly; for unincorporated Limestone County, contact the County Judge’s office, (254) 729-3810, to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Limestone County gets its name directly from the region’s limestone geology – limestone cliffs and water-sculpted boulders are visible throughout Fort Parker State Park.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Limestone County Veterans Services – 205 S. McKinney Street, Mexia, TX 76667
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Groesbeck Public Library – serving Groesbeck and Limestone County broadly; Hours: Monday–Wednesday, 10:30 AM–5:00 PM; confirm additional hours directly.
Notes: Confirm whether Mexia maintains a separate municipal library, given it’s the county’s largest city.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Limestone County is home to a genuinely pivotal site in Texas frontier history: Old Fort Parker, built in 1834-35 by Silas M. and James W. Parker near the headwaters of the Navasota River, was attacked on May 19, 1836 by 500-700 Comanche and Caddo warriors – Silas Parker was killed, and his nine-year-old daughter Cynthia Ann Parker (along with several others) was captured. Cynthia Ann later became the mother of the famous Comanche chief Quanah Parker and was herself “rescued” in 1860 in a raid documented in this project’s Foard County file, creating a real, direct historical throughline between these two counties. A faithful fort replica, first built in the 1930s and rebuilt in 1967, now operates under joint control of Groesbeck, Mexia, and Limestone County (866 Park Rd 35, Groesbeck, TX 76642, (254) 729-5253; open Wednesday-Sunday, 9 AM-5 PM, adults $5/children $3), with living history events including a Thanksgiving Trail Ride and Christmas at the Fort Festival. Adjacent Fort Parker State Park, a 1,458-acre Texas Parks and Wildlife property established 1935-41 and built by African-American CCC workers, features the 750-acre Fort Parker Lake (real fishing, including a documented 68-pound catfish catch), the spring-fed Lake Springfield, and camping/paddling facilities. The vanished town of Springfield, the original county seat, is preserved only as the historic Springfield Cemetery within the park, containing graves of a Revolutionary War veteran and War of 1812 veterans. Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site nearby documents the post-Civil War era. Lake Limestone offers an additional 12,553 acres of water recreation.
Notes: This is real, extensively documented, and genuinely significant Texas frontier history – one of the most historically consequential sites covered in this entire project, with a real direct connection to the earlier Foard County file.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Limestone County Appraisal District (Limestone CAD) – 303 S. Waco St, Groesbeck, TX 76642 | (254) 729-3009 | Fax: (254) 729-5534 | [email protected] | limestonecad.com
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Mexia Animal Control/Shelter – Adoption/donation inquiries via the office phone; to report a loose animal, call Dispatch, (254) 729-4555, and specify Mexia Animal Control.
Notes: Confirm whether Groesbeck or unincorporated Limestone County have separate animal control coverage – contact the County Judge’s office to confirm.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
No county-wide landfill or transfer station was confirmed in this search – confirm current household waste disposal options directly with the County Judge’s office or your specific city.
NOTES: Limestone County is the second county in this batch (Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock). Old Fort Parker and Cynthia Ann Parker’s 1836 capture here – with her later 1860 “rescue” documented in this project’s Foard County file – form one of the most historically significant and interconnected threads running through this entire project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Limestone County
Limestone County is east-central Texas’s Cynthia Ann Parker heritage county – the 1836 Fort Parker raid and Cynthia Ann Parker’s story as mother of Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche chief, is one of the most dramatic narratives in Texas history.
Groesbeck (the county seat, population ~4,200) is where Fort Parker State Historic Site preserves the blockhouse where young Cynthia Ann Parker was captured. Her subsequent life among the Comanche, her recapture by Texas Rangers in 1860, and her son Quanah Parker’s leadership of the Comanche nation make the Parker family one of the most significant in Texas-Native American history.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Limestone County Appraisal District at 200 W. State Highway 84, Suite 1, Groesbeck, TX 76642, phone 254-729-3009. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Limestone County District Clerk at 200 W. State Highway 84, Groesbeck, TX 76642, phone 254-729-5504, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
200 West State St, Groesbeck, TX 76642
(254) 729-3282
DISTRICT CLERK
200 West State St, Groesbeck, TX 76642
(254) 729-3282
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Limestone County Clerk’s Office, Groesbeck (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Limestone County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
County Clerk, Limestone County PO Box 350, Groesbeck, TX 76642 (254) 729-5504
Limestone County was created in 1846, in Central Texas, seated in Groesbeck (largest city Mexia) – “The Friendly City.”
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Texas probate law is governed by the Texas Estates Code. Probate jurisdiction in Texas is split between statutory probate courts (in larger metro counties) and county courts (in smaller counties like Limestone, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Limestone County, the County Court handles probate matters.
Small Estate Affidavit (Tex. Est. Code § 205.001) – available ONLY when the decedent died WITHOUT a will (intestate), the estate (excluding homestead and exempt property) does not exceed $75,000, and assets exceed debts. At least 30 days must have passed since death. The affidavit must list every asset and debt, establish the family history showing who the heirs are, and be sworn to by the heirs and two disinterested witnesses; a judge then reviews and approves it under § 205.003.
Independent Administration – used when a will exists (or all heirs agree) and the estate has debts; minimal court supervision after the executor is appointed. This is the most common and efficient path in Texas when available.
Muniment of Title – available when a valid will exists, there are no unsecured debts (other than a mortgage), and there’s no other need for a full administration; transfers title without appointing an executor.
Dependent Administration – required for complex, contested, or disputed estates; involves ongoing court supervision and approval of most actions.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files an Application for Probate of Will and Issuance of Letters Testamentary (or Letters of Administration, if intestate) with the Limestone County Clerk.
The original will (if one exists), a certified death certificate, and information about heirs and the proposed executor are included with the application.
The court holds a hearing and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gathers, inventories, and appraises the estate’s assets.
The personal representative pays valid debts and expenses.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed.
What it costs
Filing fees in Texas typically run $250–$400 depending on the county; confirm current Limestone County fees directly.
Texas law allows a statutory executor fee of 5% of all sums actually received and paid out in cash, with specific exceptions. The court may also approve reasonable attorney fees paid from the estate.
Small estate affidavits typically cost $600–$1,900 total when factoring in filing and related fees.
Texas does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
200 West Navasota St, Groesbeck, TX 76642
(254) 729-3278
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
200 West State St, Groesbeck, TX 76642
(254) 729-3282
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
200 West State St, Groesbeck, TX 76642
(254) 729-3282
HHSC Office
200 West State St, Groesbeck, TX 76642
(254) 729-3282
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Limestone Medical Center – 701 McClintic Dr, Groesbeck, TX 76642 | (254) 729-3281; a 24/7 hospital serving South Limestone County.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Groesbeck
Population: 23,500
Established: 1846
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Limestone County residents.
