Mother Neff State Park – Moody TX

Description

Mother Neff State Park is located on the Leon River west of Moody, Texas in Coryell County and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park consists of 259 acres of donated land. The park was constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 817 between 1934 and 1938 and opened to the public as a state park in 1937.

The park’s initial 6 acres were donated by Mrs. Isabella Eleanor Neff, mother of Governor Pat Morris Neff in 1916. Upon her death in 1921, Governor Neff deeded 250 acres and Mr. Frank P. Smith deeded 3 acres.

The CCC built the entrance portal, park roads, culverts, the pavilion, concession building, caretaker’s dwelling, lookout tower/water tank, pump houses, drainage system, trails, fences, picnic facilities, garage, and storage and tool house.

The CCC used many local materials by quarrying native limestone and cutting and milling local oak, elm, juniper, and cottonwood to construct the pavilion, residence, concession building, and water- and observation-tower. Most all work was done by hand.

The CCC left some items in the architects plan unfinished when they pulled out. Many of these were addressed in the early 1940s by a young women’s unit of the National Youth Administration.

A pink granite marker placed by CCC Company 817 members, family and friends commemorates the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps at Mother Neff State Park.