Mother neff state park is the first official state park in texas. it is named for mrs. isabella eleanor (mother) neff who donated six acres of land along the leon river in 1916 which became the first park site. her son was texas governor pat m. neff, who served as governor from 1921 to 1925. after the death of his mother in 1921, governor neff created the mother neff memorial park which later became the nucleus of the texas state park system. the park, located west of moody, now contains 259 acres in coryell county. the additional land was deeded to the state in 1934 by private owners; governor neff deeded 250 acres and mr. frank smith deeded 3 acres. the park was opened to the public in 1937.

Mustang island state park is 3954 acres with about 5 miles of beach on the gulf of mexico in nueces county, south of port aransas. it was acquired from private owners in 1972 and opened to the public in 1979.

Palmetto state park, 270.3 acres, named for the tropical dwarf palmetto plant found there, is located in gonzales county, northwest of gonzales and southeast of luling. the park abuts the san marcos river and also has a 4-acre oxbow lake. the land was acquired by deeds from private owners and the city of gonzales in 1934 - 1936 and was opened in 1936. the beautiful stone buildings in the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (ccc) during the 1930s.

Palo duro canyon state park consists of more than 20,000 acres in armstrong and randall counties, south of amarillo in the texas panhandle. the land was deeded by private owners in 1933. from 1933 until 1937, the Civilian Conservation Corps (ccc) sent six companies of young men and military veterans to palo duro canyon to develop road access to the canyon floor as well as the visitor center, cabins, shelters, and the park headquarters. the hard work of these dedicated individuals was important in the establishment of palo duro canyon state park which officially opened on july 4, 1934.

Pedernales falls state park, 5211.7 acres, in blanco county east of johnson city, was acquired from private owners in 1970 and was opened to the public in 1971. it is located along the banks of scenic pedernales river. this area, formerly the circle bar ranch, typifies the edwards plateau terrain.

Port isabel lighthouse state historic site consists of .9 acre in port isabel, cameron county. the park was acquired by purchase from private owners, lon c. hill and the port isabel realty company, in 1950 and was opened to the public in 1952. in september 1996, a $320,000 visitors center was completed and the texas parks and wildlife department turned over the daily operation of port isabel lighthouse state historical park to the city of port isabel, according to a 1993 agreement. while the operation and daily maintenance of the lighthouse and visitors center transfers to the city, texas parks and wildlife retains ownership of the state park and will be responsible for any major repairs.

Possum kingdom state park, west of mineral wells in palo pinto county, is 1528.7 acres adjacent to possum kingdom lake. some of the rock facilities at the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (ccc) in the early 1940s. the area was acquired by deed from the brazos river authority in 1940 and was opened to the public in 1950.

Purtis creek state park is located in an area where the wichita and caddo indians once roamed. just east of the park, on private property, is a cliff over hang that was used by unknown indians as a temporary shelter. petroglyphs are carved into the rock walls that indicate this area was a good hunting area. this area being well populated with game caused an influx of anglos in the early to mid-1800s. many small towns and communities were established during this time. the road that lies on the south border of the park at the entrance was known as the tyler to porter's bluff road, a well known stage route from east texas to the trinity river. along this route, just northeast of edom near the neches river, is the site where the famed cherokee indian chief boles was slain in the battle of the neches in 1839.

Situated along the shores of a 30,000-acre reservoir ray roberts lake state park complex consists of two state park units (isle du bois and johnson branch), six satellite parks (jordan unit, pond creek, pecan creek, buck creek, sanger, and elm fork), wildlife management areas, wetlands, waterfowl sanctuaries and the 20 mile ray roberts lake/lake lewisville greenbelt corridor. birdwatching, water sports, riding horses or backpacking along a scenic trail, ray roberts has something for everyone.

Village creek state park, 1,090 heavily forested acres, is located in the hardin county community of lumberton, 10 miles north of beaumont. acquired in 1979 and opened april 20, 1994, village creek state park takes its name from village creek, a free flowing stream which rises near the alabama-coushatta indian reservation and meanders in a southeasterly direction 69 miles to a junction with the neches river.

An angelo state park is located on the shores of o.c. fisher reservoir, which was completed by the us corps of engineers in 1952 for flood control on the north concho river. the park, adjacent to the city of san angelo in tom green county, is an oasis of quality outdoor recreation in an area of west texas known as concho country. it was leased by texas parks and wildlife department in may 1995 and was opened to the public may 1, 1995. the property contains 7677 acres, most of which will remain undeveloped. park redevelopment to its full recreational potential is expected to take a number of years. in the meantime, a wide range of facilities are available for the enjoyment of the visitor.

The san jacinto battleground state historic site holds a significant responsibility to preserve the proud history of the state of texas and the united states. the famous battle of san jacinto that brought texas its independence was fought on this site. because of the great importance of the battle to the course of history, the battleground is of state, national and international significance, a fact that is attested to by the site's national historic landmark status.

Acquired by purchase from planet oil and mineral corporation and horizon sales corporation in 1972, sea rim state park opened to the public in 1977. sea rim refers to that portion of the gulf shoreline where marsh grasses meet the surf. these marshlands formed when silt from the sabine river delta was carried down the beach by longshore currents. a unique environment, sea rim provides a valuable habitat for many wetland species.

Sebastopol house state historic site, located in seguin, guadalupe county, is a an 1856 greek revival-style house sitting on 2.2 acres of its original 4-acre site. sebastopol house is listed as a registered texas historic landmark and is in the national register of historic places as a result of its unusual limecrete construction and its architectural style. the texas parks and wildlife department acquired the park by purchase in 1976 from the seguin conservation society and opened it to the public in september 1989 following restoration. the house is restored to its 1880 appearance. exhibits explain the original construction, the restoration process, and the history of the house and its inhabitants. selected legette and zorn family furnishings are displayed demonstrating the tastes of middle-class families of the late nineteenth century.

Seminole canyon state park and historic site in val verde county, west of comstock, contains 2172.5 acres; the park was acquired by purchase from private owners in 1973 - 1977 and opened in february 1980.

Sheldon lake state park & environmental learning center is a 2,800 acre outdoor education and recreation facility located in northeast harris county. the park is split into two units: sheldon lake is accessible from garrett and pineland/fauna roads and the environmental learning center is accessible from beaumont highway. the reservoir levees encompass 1,200 acres, of which 800 are permanently inundated and 400 acres are marsh and swampland.

South llano river state park adjoins Walter Buck Wildlife Management Area, south of junction in kimble county. the 524.07-acre site, adjacent to the south llano river, was donated to texas parks and wildlife department in 1977 and was opened to the public in 1990.

The park is located on the brazos river, near the old ferry site and a part of the commercio plaza de san felipe, just a few miles from the site of the township of san felipe, the seat of government of the anglo-american colonies in texas. it was here stephen f. austin, the "father of texas," brought the first 297 families to colonize texas under a contract with the mexican government. from 1824 to 1836, san felipe de austin was the social, economic, and political center, as well as the capital of the american colonies in texas. due to the many historic events that occurred here, the community acquired the reputation "cradle of the texas liberty." also, the conventions of 1832 and 1833 and the consultation of 1835 were held here. these meetings eventually led to the texas declaration of independence. san felipe was the home of austin and other famous early texans; the home of texas' first anglo newspaper (the texas gazette, founded in 1829); the home of the postal system of texas origination and the setting for the beginning of the texas rangers.

Tyler state park is 985.5 acres in smith county, north of tyler. the park includes a 64-acre lake. the land was deeded by private owners in 1934 and 1935; original improvements were made by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). the park opened in 1939.

Village creek state park, 1,090 heavily forested acres, is located in the hardin county community of lumberton, 10 miles north of beaumont. acquired in 1979 and opened april 20, 1994, village creek state park takes its name from village creek, a free flowing stream which rises near the alabama-coushatta indian reservation and meanders in a southeasterly direction 69 miles to a junction with the neches river.

Visiting washington-on-the-brazos state historic site is an enjoyable experience on two levels. first, the expansive park grounds along the brazos river provide a beautiful setting for picnicking, sightseeing and birdwatching. and secondly, the Star of the Republic Museum, Independence Hall and Barrington Living History Farm, offer the visitor a unique insight into the lives and times of the men who fought and won texas' independence from mexico.

The wyler aerial tramway at franklin mountains state park features an aerial cable car situated on 195.742 acres of rugged mountain and rock formations on the east side of the franklin mountains.

Ever wonder why we celebrate cinco de mayo? this day honors general ignacio zaragoza, who defeated the french at the battle of puebla in 1862. visit his reconstructed birthplace adjacent to the presidio to learn about this texas-mexican hero, born here in 1829. descendants of the original town of la bahía, the settlement that grew up around the presidio, still live in the area today. don't miss the adjacent zaragoza statue, donated by the citizens of puebla, mexico.