Texas woman's six-acre gift helped create the state's first state park

In 1916, a small piece of land along Texas’ Leon River became the starting point for what would eventually become the state’s first state park. Isabella Neff, known locally as Mother Neff, had long welcomed neighbours and community groups to the riverbank for picnics, gatherings, fishing and other events. She donated six acres of her favourite spot to the State of Texas for a park in 1916. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), her son, Pat Neff, later expanded the family’s contribution by donating 250 acres to the state in 1934. What followed was the development of Mother Neff State Park, shaped further by the Civilian Conservation Corps and officially opened in 1937.A family arrives in TexasIsabella Eleanor Shepherd was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1830. She married Noah Neff in 1854, and after their marriage, the couple decided to move to Texas.