Day Trips

Park in transition (Photo By Gerald E. McLeod)

Kerrville-Schreiner State Park has changed its name. Last February, the park on the Guadalupe River on the southeastern edge of the Kerrville city limits was transferred from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to the city parks department.

"For the average visitor," says Tim Hufstedler, the park superintendent, "the changeover is going to be pretty transparent, at least for a while, with the exception of the removal of the state seal from the property."

In 1999 the state legislature amended the Parks & Wildlife code to authorize transfer of state real estate to local governmental entities. The transferring of underutilized properties to cities frees operational funds to be used at other parks as the state agency wrestles with a large backlog of needed repairs and upgrades, says Kevin Goode, assistant to Walt Dabney, the director of parks at TPWD.

The Old Fort Parker State Historical Park was the first property to make the transfer, Goode says. A reconstructed fort between Groesbeck and Mexia, it was the site of the abduction of Cynthia Ann Parker in 1836 by Comanche Indians. The log stockade and campgrounds were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Rather than let the state close the site, the city of Groesbeck took over operation in the late 1990s.

James Stephen Hogg was the first native Texan to be elected governor. Hogg was born in 1851, on a plantation his father cut from the thick woods east of Rusk. Though both of his parents died while he was still a teenager, Hogg became a successful lawyer, politician, and businessman. He was one of the original investors in Texaco.

Since 1941, his birthplace has been a state historical site covering 178 acres of towering pine trees. The house on the site is typical of the homes during the Hogg's time in East Texas and serves as a museum. The day-use park also offers a picnic area and a 1.5-mile hiking trail. The property was turned over to the city of Rusk, which had donated it to the state in 1941.

The city of Quitman has taken over the responsibility for another Hogg site in East Texas. The Gov. Hogg Shrine State Historical Park is more than just a monument to the former state attorney general and governor. The park was one of many civic projects built with the help of Hogg's only daughter, Ima. Established in 1952, the park was originally the site of the Old Settler's Reunion Grounds that has hosted annual picnics since 1902. Miss Ima furnished two museums on the site, which also includes a picnic area and short hiking trail.

Of the facilities taken off the state inventory, one of the most unique is Lubbock Lake Landmark State Historical Park, which was transferred to Texas Tech University. Modern man has found no other site in North America that contains evidence of all the cultures known to have existed on the Southern Plains over the last 12,000 years.

The ancient watering hole was discovered in the 1930s when the water table dropped, exposing bones of extinct animals. Archeological research in cooperation with TTU has been going on at the site ever since. With the help of TPWD, a museum was added, along with trails and interpretive programs for visitors.

Of all the sites transferred from the state, Kerrville-Schreiner Park is the largest. Hufstedler, who worked at the park for nearly 20 years until he retired in August 2003, is excited about the changeover. "We can make improvements that Parks & Wildlife would probably never get to do," he says. "They have an entire system to worry about; we only have the one park."

Separate from the financing of the other city parks, Kerrville-Schreiner is expected to pay its own way, he says. Planned improvements include adding cabins, removing flood debris, deepening the water at the boat ramp and swimming area, and adding sewage hookups. The city has agreed to maintain the park at or above the level set by TPWD. "[The park] looks better than it has in years," Hufstedler says.

For information or reservations, call Kerrville-Schreiner Park at 830/257-5392 or visit their Web site at www.kerrville.org. Reservations can also be made through the TPWD reservation line at 389-8900 or www.tpwd.state.tx.us.

687th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.