In 1854, John Anderson Penn settled in the rugged cedar-covered hills of southwest Dallas County—an area known as the Cedar Mountains. Today, remnants of the original Penn Farm survive intact in the confines of Cedar Hill State Park. Penn Farm Agricultural History Center pays tribute to the disappearing Texas family farm and affords a glimpse into agrarian history as farm machinery took the place of the horse and mule almost a century ago. It includes reconstructed and historic buildings from the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Twelve acres of this park are set aside in honor of the area's past. Located on the Brazos River, adjoining the old ferry site and a part of the Commercio Plaza de San Felipe, this is the site of the township of San Felipe, the seat of government of the Anglo-American colonies in Texas. It was here Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas," brought the first 297 families to colonize Texas under a contract with the Mexican Government. From 1824 to 1836, San Felipe de Austin was the social, economic, and political center, as well as the capital of the American colonies in Texas. Due to the many historic events that occurred here, the community acquired the reputation "Cradle of the Texas Liberty." San Felipe was the home of Austin and other famous early Texans; the home of Texas's first Anglo newspaper (the Texas Gazette, founded in 1829); the home of the postal system of Texas origination; and the setting for the beginning of the Texas Rangers.

The site offers tours.

Fort Richardson was established in November 1867 and was named in honor of General Israel B. Richardson, who died in the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War. The fort was the northernmost of a line of Federal Forts established after the Civil War. The soldiers arrived in Jacksboro in 1866 with orders to establish a fort at Buffalo Springs, 20 miles north of Jacksboro. Due to unhealthy conditions at Buffalo Springs and the constant Indian raids, the fort was abandoned. The soldiers returned to Jacksboro and eventually received orders to establish a fort on the South Bank of Lost Creek. Expeditions sent from Fort Richardson arrested Indians responsible for the Warren Wagon Train Massacre in 1871 and fought Comanches in Palo Duro Canyon. The Fort was abandoned in May 1878.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

The 293-acre Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site is located on the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The park is home to a reconstructed Independence Hall; the Star of the Republic Museum, which covers the history of the Republic of Texas (1836-1846); and Barrington Living History Farm, home of Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas. Numerous walking trails and a picnic area are also available in the park.

The visitor center offers interactive exhibits, snack food for purchase, and a gift shop. Daily guided tours of Independence Hall are offered as are scheduled group tours. Barrington Living History Farm offers tours of the Anson Jones home focusing on the politics, economics, and daily life of 1850s Texas. The Star of the Republic Museum offers exhibits, audiovisual presentations, educational programs, and houses an extensive research library. Age appropriate school tours are available at all three sites and align with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). An educator's packet for Barrington Living History Farm is available online as is www.txindependence.org , a new website created for 4th & 7th grade Texas history students.

Sebastopol House State Historic Site is an 1856 Greek-Revival-style house sitting on 2.2 acres of its original four-acre site. Sebastopol House is listed as a Registered Texas Historic Landmark and is in the National Register of Historic Places as a result of its unusual limecrete construction and its architectural style. The house is restored to its 1880 appearance. Exhibits explain the original construction, the restoration process, and the history of the house and its inhabitants. Selected LeGette and Zorn family furnishings are displayed demonstrating the tastes of middle-class families of the late 19th century.

The site offers tours, exhibits, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Hueco Tanks State Historic Site, a 860.3-acre park, was named for the large natural rock basins or "huecos" that have furnished a supply of trapped rainwater to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for millennia. A unique legacy of lively and fantastic rock paintings greets the visitor at the "tanks." From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. The site's notable pictographs also include more than 200 face designs or "masks" left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. Hueco Tanks was the site of the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, and earlier Indian groups camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks also served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

The escarpment's scenic canyons were home for Indians of several cultures, including the Folsom culture of more than 10,000 years ago. The region's historic era began when Spanish explorer Coronado traveled across the plains in 1541. After Spanish colonies were established in New Mexico around 1600, two-way trade between Plains Indians and New Mexicans began and gradually increased. The Plains Apache acquired horses and became proficient buffalo hunters. They were displaced by the Comanche, who arrived in the early 1700s and dominated northwestern Texas, until they were finally subdued in the 1870s. During the Comanche reign, trade prospered and New Mexican buffalo hunters, known as ciboleros, and traders, known as Comancheros, were frequent visitors to this area. Las Lenguas Creek, a few miles south of the park, was a major trade area, and a site excavated on Quitaque Creek has produced artifacts indicating that it may have been a cibolero camp.

The park offers tours and educational and recreational events and programs.

Fort Leaton State Historic Site consists of 23.4 acres, five of which are the site of a pioneer trading post. In 1848, Ben Leaton built a fortified adobe trading post known as Fort Leaton. He dominated border trade with the Apache and Comanche Indians before he died in 1851.

The park is day-use only and offers picnicking areas, guided tours, plus exhibits on the history from 15th century, natural history, and archaeological history of the area. The site serves for historical study activities.

At Monument Hill, a crypt and granite monument honor the men who died in the 1840s Dawson Massacre and Black Bean Death Lottery. The nearby Kreische House and Brewery preserve the life and work of Heinrich L. Kreische and other early European immigrants who settled the area.

The sites offer tours.