Hodges Gardens State Park - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Hodges Gardens State Park, previously known as Hodges Gardens, Park and Wilderness Area, is located on 4700 acres (19 km²) between Florien

Florien, Louisiana

Florien is a village in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 692 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Florien is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land....

and Hornbeck

Hornbeck, Louisiana

Hornbeck is a town in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 435 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, near the Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir

Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of 185,000 acres , the largest man-made body of water in Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest in the United States. The dam is capable of generating 92 megawatts of...

of the Sabine River in Sabine Parish, in west central Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. The park is located on U.S. Highway 171 some fifteen miles (24 km) south of Many

Many, Louisiana

Many is a town in and the parish seat of Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,889 at the 2000 census. The town was named for John B. Many, the commander of nearby Fort Jesup.-History:...

, the seat of Sabine Parish. The facility offers walking trails, formal gardens, arboretum

Arboretum

An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...

, the Azalea

Azalea

Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...

Overlook, waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s, and a visitor center. Originally, privately developed during the 1940s and opened to the public in 1956. The Park was formally dedicated on May 1, 1959 and transferred to a non-profit foundation in 1960. It became part of the Louisiana public parks system in April 2007. It is the largest horticultural park and recreation area in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and with the acquisition Hodges Garden became the newest park in Louisiana.

History

The area was once home to bands of Indians, Spanish and French Explorers, and Highwaymen that were prominent during the time of the Neutral Strip (Louisiana). A road known as the El Camino Real

Old San Antonio Road

The Old San Antonio Road was a historic roadway located in the U.S. states of Texas and Louisiana. Parts of it were based on traditional Native American trails. Its Texas terminus was about southeast of Eagle Pass at the Rio Grande in Maverick County, and its northern terminus was at...

, or the King's Highway, passed through what became Hodges Garden, and across the Sabine River at Gain's Ferry. It originated in Natchitoches, crossed west central Louisiana, through Texas to Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

.

A.J. Hodges, a native of Cotton Valley

Cotton Valley, Louisiana

Cotton Valley is a town in central Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,189 at the 2000 census. It is located some twenty miles northwest of the parish seat of Minden.-Overview:-Municipal matters:...

in Webster Parish, purchased over 100000 acres (404.7 km²) of cut-over barren land and replanted 39000 acres (157.8 km²) in timber. The land included an old quarry and he and his wife, the former Nona Trigg, planned a scenic garden around the natural rock formations. The quarry had been used to supply rocks, stones, and sandstone to build, among other things, the jetties in Port Arthur

Port Arthur, Texas

-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...

. Work began on the jetties in 1898 and material from the quarry was delivered by wagon that would have been at least a six day round trip. Water from a 225 acre (0.9105435 km²) lake build in 1954 is pumped through the gardens to waterfalls, pools, a geyser, fountains, and to the watering system before it is recycled back into the lake. Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant governor

A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...

Mitch Landrieu

Mitchell Joseph "Mitch" Landrieu is the Mayor of New Orleans, former Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, and a member of the Landrieu family. Landrieu is a member of the Democratic Party and a Roman Catholic. He is the son of former New Orleans mayor and Secretary of the United States Department of...

, head of the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Department, said that the state signed a transfer agreement with the Hodges Foundation. Landrieu, who leaves the lieutenant governorship in May 2010 to become mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

of New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

, noted that Andrew Jackson Hodges, Sr. (1890–1966), "took a barren 700 acres (2.8 km²) stone quarry

Quarry

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...

and turned it into a thriving tourist area. The state’s takeover of the park will restore the garden’s original beauty, upgrade accommodations, and ultimately add value to this economic asset."

Consultation

One of the consultants in developing the gardens was Caroline Dormon

Caroline Dormon

Caroline Coroneos Dormon was a botanist, horticulturist, ornithologist, historian, archeologist, preservationist, naturalist, conservationist, and author from Louisiana. She was born in modest circumstances at Briarwood, the family home in northern Natchitoches Parish, to James L. Dormon and the...

, a botanist, horticulturist, ornithologist, historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

, archeologist, preservationist

Preservationist

Preservationist is generally understood to mean historic preservationist: one who advocates to preserve architecturally or historically significant buildings, structures, objects or sites from demolition or degradation...

, naturalist

Naturalist

Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...

, conservationist

Conservationist

Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...

, and author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

from Natchitoches Parish.

Park Features

The Park includes 925 acres (3.7 km²) referred to as Hodges Gardens, and features 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of gardens, a 225 acre (0.9105435 km²), that includes a lighthouse, bass fishing lake, hiking and biking trails, and RV and wilderness camping.

Services & Amenities

Amphitheater
Baseball/Softball Field
Bicycle Riding
Bird Watching
Boating (boat rental)
Cabins
Canoeing (Canoe Rental)
Fishing (Fishing Pier)
Camping
Hiking
Kayaking
Lookout Tower
Pavilion
Picnicking
Tent Area
Walking
Waterfall
Wildlife Viewing

Things to see

Many plants and flowers are grown in tropical greenhouses on the property and some flowers like tulips, hyacinths, & daffodils were imported to add variety for visitors. Flowers were planted on one level above another. Views of water lilies, Neoregelia

Neoregelia

Neoregelia is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Bromelioideae. The genus name is for Eduard August von Regel, director of St. Petersburg Botanic Gardens in Russia ....

, Holly Berries. In December, 2007 a reported 600 Rose bushes were planted. Easter Sunrise Services, Shakespearean Plays, concerts, 4 July Fireworks and more are planned.

There are walkways, foot bridges, streams, waterfalls, overlooks including the lookout tower, and more. From the overlook Texas can be viewed that is over 14 miles (22.5 km) away. A duel stairway has a cascading waterfall down the center, many fountains spewing water into the air, and trees adorned with Peat Moss.

Pictures from the Gardens

Current

The Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism and the Office of State Parks now operate the gardens. Renovations are underway to existing structures. Hodges Gardens opened its renovated and rewired cabins on March 20, 2008. Camping facilities became available in the summer of 2008. The park was in such bad shape that extensive renovations are required and on-going construction should be completed in the fall of 2010.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.