Granbury, Texas is known for its historical sites, such as Elizabeth Crockett’s grave and the mystery of who John St. Helen was, and its several shopping stores at the Granbury Square. Walking distance from the Historic Square is another unique spot to visit in Granbury: Memorial Lane.
As seen at granbury.org, Memorial Lane is an expanded version of the Jim Burks Firefighters Memorial Park. The older version was made in 2007 and Memorial Lane was established in 2017 by Creative Founding Person Julia Pannell.
Pannell, a Granbury local, offered the idea to expand the park to the to the city manager on a napkin. The city manager told Pannell to get her facts together and take it to the city council. It was approved, Pannell explained. She then formed Friends of Memorial Lane, a non-profit board and committee, to raise funds and organize events for the park, she said.
“Laid out the two new additions with the Fire Fighter being the spearhead,” Pannell said. “Broke ground and raised the funds in nine months.”
Because the city already owned the property and it was a memorial setting, it was perfect to add two sides and honor firefighters, military, and law enforcement in one park. While some parks may have some variation of the combinations, there are no other parks that have all three, Pannell said.
The firefighters section has a large firefighter modeled after five firefighters and benches that have family names on them. In the children’s area is a fire truck playground, one of three in the world. There are pavers along the ground to honor and remember firefighters.
“Pavers are a big part of the park,” Pannell said. “You can buy a paver to honor anybody that’s a firefighter present, past, future.”
Firefighter statue, taken by Bryan Torres.
The law enforcement section has two big, upright stones with engraved names of officers and a big star on the ground representing a badge for pavers. The pavers have people from all over the world. There is a statue of a young girl holding the flag shedding a tear for the first responders.
“The archway over the Law Enforcement Site says ‘blessed are the peacemakers’.” Pannell said.
“Tears For The Fallen” statue, taken by Bryan Torres.
Law Enforcement memorial, taken by Madeline Koiner.
Law Enforcement pavers, taken by Madeline Koiner.
The military section has a memorial for the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the Air Force, and the Space Force. There is a statue of a Battalion dog (lab) paying homage before the Battlefield Cross.
“The kids love that dog,” Pannell said. “They love to get up on that lab.”
Battle Cross and Dog statues, taken by Madeline Koiner.
Military memorial, taken by Madeline Koiner.
There are many ways this park is used, Pannell explained. People use it for weddings, dog training, guitar lessons, birthday parties, picnics, and bible studies. There is a picnic area, a playground for children, and a work out area. The swings on the playground have a special swing made for handicapped children. The work out area has instructions on ways to use the bars. There are two porta-potties year-round for visitors’ relief.
“We encourage people in this area to come to reflect,” Pannell said. “Come to the events that we have there.”
Firetruck playground, taken by Madeline Koiner.
Swings at the firetruck playground, taken by Madeline Koiner.
Workout area, taken by Madeline Koiner.
Sources:
Julia Pannell
Memorial Lane & Jim Burks Firefighters Memorial Park | Granbury, TX – Official Website