Wildflowers at Mother Neff State Park
Mother Neff Park Tour
Drive thirty minutes west of Waco and you'll come upon one of Central Texas' natural treasures, Mother Neff State Park. On a recent Saturday, I joined several friends on an informational bus tour of the park and surrounding areas significant in the life of the Neff family.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/mother_neff/
We visited the restored Eagle Springs Baptist Church, est. 1878. Notice the two doors, one for men and one for women. During services, the men sat on one side and the women on the other. Since the church has two aisles we were left to wonder who sat in the middle section.
And, in true religious fashion, this church was a breakaway congregation from the Baptist Church just across the creek. To paraphrase Christ, where two or more are gathered there will be two or more churches, each equally convinced that they have the true way!
At Post Oak Cemetery, park board members laid a wreath at Mother Neff's grave. Originally from Virginia, Isabella (later known as Mother Neff) and Noah Neff came to Texas shortly after their marriage. The Neffs owned six acres of land in Central Texas. From the beginning, groups asked to use the land for picnics, meetings, and other gatherings.
After Isabella's death, the Neff's youngest son, Pat, deeded the land to the public. In 1934, when Pat Neff was governor of Texas, he donated an additional 250 acres of adjoining land to the public park. With the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the park was developed. The young men of the Corps built the rock tabernacle, recreation hall, stone water tower, park residence, drainage system, and roads throughout the park.
During the tour, we were treated to a gourmet lunch at The Mansion in McGregor. Built in 1892, the Deyerle-Fall Mansion was constructed by the same master stone mason who worked on the Texas capitol building in Austin. The local owners, Jim & Sharon Griffith, have restored the home and filled it with antiques and artifacts of bygone days.
When visiting be sure to visit the Guest Bath, which is filled with flamingoes.
All in all, a lovely outing in Central Texas.
Mother Neff Park Tour
Drive thirty minutes west of Waco and you'll come upon one of Central Texas' natural treasures, Mother Neff State Park. On a recent Saturday, I joined several friends on an informational bus tour of the park and surrounding areas significant in the life of the Neff family.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/mother_neff/
After Isabella's death, the Neff's youngest son, Pat, deeded the land to the public. In 1934, when Pat Neff was governor of Texas, he donated an additional 250 acres of adjoining land to the public park. With the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the park was developed. The young men of the Corps built the rock tabernacle, recreation hall, stone water tower, park residence, drainage system, and roads throughout the park.
During the tour, we were treated to a gourmet lunch at The Mansion in McGregor. Built in 1892, the Deyerle-Fall Mansion was constructed by the same master stone mason who worked on the Texas capitol building in Austin. The local owners, Jim & Sharon Griffith, have restored the home and filled it with antiques and artifacts of bygone days.
When visiting be sure to visit the Guest Bath, which is filled with flamingoes.
All in all, a lovely outing in Central Texas.
1 comment:
Neat! Thanks for including us in the marvelous day-trip "tour"! What fun!
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