9 Parks to View CCC Work
The best CCC parks in Texas you may not have visited.
By Dale Blasingame
Many of our state parks here in Texas display the CCC's handiwork. Texas now has 29 CCC state parks. Here's a list of some CCC parks you may not have visited ... yet.
Longhorn Cavern State Park
Talk about a back-breaking job: The CCC hauled 2.5 tons of material out of the cavern in 1934 so the public could enjoy this underground marvel. The above-ground facilities, including the dramatic, arched administration building, were constructed from limestone and crystals pulled from the cave.
Meridian State Park
The CCC World War I veterans who developed Meridian built a refectory above Lake Bosque with arched entryways, a stone chimney, beamed ceiling and a pergola. The enrollees also constructed the rock and earthen dam across Bee Creek that impounded the lake.
Indian Lodge/Davis Mountains State Park
Indian Lodge, the pueblo-style hotel in Davis Mountains State Park, reflects the history and culture of the region. Hand-hewn pine beams, adobe blocks and hand-carved cedar furniture were all made onsite. Local materials included pine from Mount Livermore and river cane.
Abilene State Park
CCC enrollees used native limestone and red sandstone to build many of the park's features, including the arched concession building (with observation tower) and the water tower. The CCC also constructed the swimming pool, with pyramidal poolside pergolas.
Bonham State Park
The CCC touch can be seen everywhere - from the earthen dam used to form the 65-acre lake to the boathouse and park headquarters. Visit the CCC-constructed picnic area first, which houses my favorite footbridge in all of Texas.
Palmetto State Park
You have to work a bit to find the CCC water tower at Palmetto through the vegetation. The remarkable refectory building, constructed with native sandstone, seems to grow right out the ground; it originally sported a roof thatched with palmettos reportedly from Huntsville State Park.
Goose Island State Park
At Goose Island, the CCC cleared undergrowth, planted trees and protected the Big Tree, Goose Island's crown jewel. Always using local materials, the CCC used oyster shells to pave roads, palmetto leaves to make thatched picnic roofs and shell-crete blocks to build the concession building.
Lake Brownwood State Park
Lake Brownwood is considered the most extensively developed CCC park in Texas, with more than 100 projects. Most notable is the native stone refectory (built by the Civil Works Administration and expanded by the CCC) that now serves as a recreation hall. Two trail systems connect the CCC features and structures.
Mother Neff State Park
One of the first prominent CCC features you'll see upon visiting Mother Neff is the main recreation hall, but head out the Live Oak Trail to witness views from atop another example of the CCC's work - the combination lookout tower and water tank.
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