Mother Neff State Park
Encyclopedia
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located on the Leon River
Leon River
The Leon River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It has three primary forks; the North, Middle, and South Leon rivers which meet near Eastland and then run for around 185 miles until it meets up with the Lampasas River and the Salado Creek to form the Little River near Belton....
west of Moody, Texas
Moody, Texas
Moody is a city in McLennan County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,400 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Moody is located at ....
in Coryell County
Coryell County, Texas
Coryell County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 74,978. The county seat is Gatesville. Coryell County forms part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The park is part of Mother Neff State Park and F.A.S. 21-B(1) Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 2, 1992.
The park's initial 6 acres (2.4 ha) were donated by Mrs. Isabella Eleanor Neff, mother of Governor Pat Morris Neff
Pat Morris Neff
Pat Morris Neff was the 28th Governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925 and 9th President of Baylor University from 1932 to 1947.-Early life:...
in 1916. Upon her death in 1921, Governor Neff created the Mother Neff Memorial Park, making it the first state park in Texas. The additional land was deeded to the state in 1934 by private owners; Governor Neff deeded 250 acres (101.2 ha) and Mr Frank Smith deeded 3 acres (1.2 ha). The park was opened to the public in 1937.
Company 817 of the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
built the park from 1934 to 1938. The Company quarried stone and cut wood to build the structures that are still in use in the park today.
Most of Mother Neff Park sits in the flood plain of the Leon River and flooding shut the park down in 1992 and again in 2007.
Texas F.A.S. [federally assisted secondary road] 21-B(1) (locally known as Old River Road or Oglesby Neff Park Road) is a 6 miles (9.7 km) length of road built in 1939. The Texas State Highway Department constructed the road using allocated federal funds. The road follows the Leon River for much of its length from the west entrance of the park to Farm to Market Road 107.