Question: Who is considered the “Mother of Texas State Parks”?
Answer: Isabella Neff, the mother of the Gov. Pat Neff, who established the Texas State Parks Board in 1923. “Mother Neff,” as she was called, frequently hosted parties and community gatherings at the family’s 900 acre-property along the Leon River in Coryell County, which she purchased with her husband in 1852. Upon her death in 1921, she willed six acres to the state for a park. Her son Pat developed Neff Memorial Park and donated it to Texas in 1934.
