Frank S. Paluka

July 1, 2026

We’re starting to go out and explore a little bit–short trips only, though. Today, we visited a location that’s been on my list for quite some time.

Along a forest service road on the west side of Lake Conroe within the boundaries of the Sam Houston National Forest lies the grave of Frank S. Paluka. The site came to our attention when we saw a video by YouTuber @DeadlyKnot, who explores interesting sites in East Texas and other places.

Frank Paluka’s grave is located along Forest Service Road 248, which ends in a primitive camping area on a peninsula named, appropriately, Paluka Point.

Route: Frank S. Paluka

To get to FSR 248, drive west on FM 1375 from New Waverly (or east on FM 1375 from where it starts at FM 149) and then travel south on FSR 204 for a little under 2.5 miles. FSR 248 will be on the left.

The road was fairly smooth at the beginning, but farther back there were several large potholes and some washouts, probably due to recent rains. I didn’t feel the need to engage any form of 4WD along the road, but there are some spots where I would recommend a vehicle with at least average ground clearance. Don’t go out there in a low-rider, for sure!

A white gravel road, surrounded by tall pine trees, curves to the right and disappears into the forest.
Near the entrance to FSR 248.
A forest of tall pines, with ferns and other undergrowth low to the ground.
Sam Houston National Forest
A large spider web is suspended among several tall pine trees.
An orb spider has set her trap!

We saw birds and squirrels along the route, and a few deer. A white tail doe stopped and eyed us suspiciously for a few moments before bounding across the road.

A white tail doe stares back at us.
This white tail doe waited patiently to run in front of the truck.
A white tail doe leaping across the road.
Having decided not to wreck our truck, the doe leapt away.

Full disclosure: we missed the gravesite as we were driving in. This was mainly due to the fact that I thought it was a little farther down the road from its actual location. But I have presented these images in chronological order to make it easier for anyone who wishes to look for the gravesite themselves.

The grave is located on the right side of the road as you drive in. It is in a bend before you reach a sort of parking area outside a gate that leads to the camping sites. Here is a map link to the approximate coordinates:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rsco3Yh7HN6BpWhK8

A wrought iron fence surrounds a gravesite. Many toys, trinkets, beverage cans, and other tributes have been placed on and around the grave.
The gravesite of Frank S. Paluka.

I could not locate much information online about Frank S. Paluka. From the few sources I did find, however, I was able to glean at least a few facts about his life, death, and how he ended up buried out in the middle of the national forest.

Frank Paluka was born in Poland (possibly the portion under control by Prussia) in or about 1870. By 1875 his family had immigrated to the United States. He married Josephia “Josie” Bilnoski in 1895, and they had several children together. According to one of his descendents, the two separated and in the 1910 census Josie had declared herself a widow.

Frank, however, was very much alive and living on his own in an area that would become part of the Sam Houston National Forest. The national forest was established in 1936, the same year that Frank died. (Construction on nearby Lake Conroe began in 1970 and was completed in 1973.)

While walking near his home, Frank was bitten by a timber rattlesnake. He apparently died at the spot where he was bitten, but not before ensuring that the snake responsible for his demise joined him in the Thereafter. Family members found Frank’s decomposed body sometime later and buried him where he lay. Legend has it that the snake is buried at the footstone of Frank’s grave.

Now, how much of that story is true? I don’t know. Most of the information about Frank’s death seems to have been passed down through his family from those who found him. Timber rattlers in this area have a very potent venom, but it won’t kill a person instantly. He should have had time to get back home, I think. And how did the snake die? Was their proximity merely a coincidence? Is the snake really buried by the footstone? Without additional information, I guess the story as outlined above is all we have to go on.

A headstone that reads, "Frank S. Paluka." The rest of the writing is difficult to make out, but appears to be "B 1870" and "D IN 1936."
Gravestone of Frank S. Paluka

The grave is surrounded by a wrought iron fence and is adorned with various trinkets left as tribute to Frank’s memory by visitors. I know nothing about this man as a person, but I was stirred by the kindness of so many. Frank is gone, but certainly not forgotten.

A few trinkets that were left at the gravesite: a wristband, a bee, a tiny duck, and a small red cup.
The tiny yellow duck was not there when we arrived.
A small grave marker, probably a "foot stone," sits within a wrought iron fence enclosure. Several toys and other trinkets have been left around the marker by visitors.
This stone is said to mark where the rattlesnake is buried.
Full cans and bottles left for Frank.
Many visitors gladly shared a drink with Frank.

The site leaves me with a lot of questions to which there seem to be no answers. So, maybe it’s better to leave Frank’s grave in the mist of legend, and my image of Frank as that of an amicable stranger we met while out exploring. He seems to be regarded fondly by many others who never knew him.

As I mentioned above, there is a parking area very near to the grave. A gated entrance on the far side leads toward the campsites. The gate was open, so we continued our drive. The road got much rougher from this point forward.

The forest service road makes a sharp S-curve as it travels downhill through the woods.
The road continues past the gate.

Entrance roads to the campsites branch off both sides of FSR 248. As you drive in, the sites with lake access are exclusively on the left until you reach the end of the peninsula.

A dirt and gravel road meanders through a forest.
Getting very near the lake here…

The first site we came to looked promising, but the entrance road is in horrible shape. In one spot the path dipped steeply and then rose even more sharply on the far side. We may have been able to navigate it, but I didn’t think the reward was worth the risk. A path to the side has been cut by others, but it is very narrow with a very steep dropoff on one side. Remembering a dream I had the night before about a similar circumstance where I was driven into a swimming pool, I decided that our best course of action was to back out to the service road!

The dirt road entrance to a campsite along the lake runs through the trees.
This is the first campsite that we saw that was located next to the lake.

The second site we visited was much easier to access. There is a sweetgum tree with a hollow in it next to the entrance.

A large hollow in a sweetgum tree.
The gnome that lives here needs to do some serious house cleaning.
Another road leads to a second campsite along the lake. The lake and its far shores are visible through the foreground trees.
This is the entrance to the second lakeside campsite we visited.

This campsite has a very nice view of the lake. The ground slopes down to a narrow shoreline in the image below. It might be a good fishing spot.

A few across the lake. The water is relatively calm, with only small rippling waves. Puffy white clouds are in the blue sky. A large pine tree is located near the water's edge on the left. The far shore, which is covered in thick pine forest, is visible across the water.
Along the water’s edge at the second campsite.
A close-up of the far shore, showing low-rising hills covered in countless pine trees.
The shore across from the second campsite.
More trees on the far shoreline.
More trees across the lake.

We visited a third lakeside campsite. I think it may be our favorite, as it has a very nice, shaded view of the lake.

A view across the lake. The far shoreline is visible in the distance. The lake is wider here than at the previous campsite. Trees on either side of the scene are covered in Spanish moss.
The third campsite we visited had this beautiful view of the lake.

There are several more sites in the area that we did not visit. There appeared to be a group of long-term campers or homeless people set up at the very end of the peninsula, so we turned around and headed back.

Spanish moss hangs form several large trees.
The Spanish moss added to the charm of this camping area.

I think we may head back out to Paluka Point when it gets cooler. It looks like a nice place to just sit and relax and watch the water. We may even stop by and say “Hi!” to Frank, again.

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