Old Springfield was named for the large spring on a townsite donated January 6, 1838, by Moses Herrin, who gave four lots to any person agreeing to settle in the town. Twelve families later in 1838 were forced out by Indian hostility. A post office was established in 1846. When Limestone County was created April 11, 1846, Springfield, its only town of any size, became county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1848 near the Navasota River, and a new two-story brick courthouse was built in 1856 on the hill. It was home of the Springfield District of the Methodist Church, from which stemmed the Northwest Texas Conference, and it also had active Baptist and Disciples of Christ churches. Springfield College was established but closed during the Civil War. The Navasota Stock Raisers Association was organized here. When the Houston and Texas Central Railroad was built some miles to the east in 1870, the population dwindled. In 1873, two great fires struck the town, one burning the courthouse. Surviving buildings were moved away, and Groesbeck became the county seat. The old cemetery and Springfield Lake, both in Fort Parker State Park, retain the historic name of the once important town. Lake Springfield provides recreation, irrigation, and municipal water.