I am going a bit crazy hanging out at home . . . it is already hitting triple digits so being outside is a bit unbearable. I woke up early and told myself I was going to do something outdoors today. So, I quickly got dressed and was on my way to Mother Neff State Park. The weird thing is I grew up less than 20 miles from this state park and have never been here. I arrived just minutes after they opened at 8am. I grabbed a map and off I went. I had already mapped out the trails I wanted to hike so that made it easy as I was trying to beat the Texas heat. My car said it was 77, but I tell you it sure did not feel that cool. The trails were well marked with a lot of shade!
I started at the Tower Trail and ended up on the Cave Trail. I stopped at the CCC Rock Tower.
. . . then on to the CCC Table.
. . . with a final stop at the Historic Bell. The CCC used this bell to call workers for dinner, meetings, and to warn them of storms.
The sun was starting to show its stuff so I jumped in the air conditioning and headed home. And my car said it was 81 . . . not way because it already felt like 101!
Who was Mother Neff?
Isabella Eleanor Neff was born in Roanoke,
Virginia, in 1830; the youngest of 12 children. She married Noah Neff in 1854,
and after a few days of marriage, they decided to move to Texas. It took them 52 days by carriage to drive
from Roanoke to Belton, Texas. They settled
along the Leon River in Coryell County.
She earned the nickname Mother Neff from Chisholm Trail cowboys
and local travelers because of her legendary hospitality, often offering them
pie, coffee, and a place to rest. Upon
her death in 1921, she gifted 6 acres of her property to the citizens of Texas. In other Neff family news, her youngest
son, Pat Morris Neff, was elected Governor of Texas in 1921 and was president
of Baylor University. He would also
donate more land to make Mother Neff State Park what it is today.
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