Jefferson in Marion County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

1. Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park Marker

Inscription. This roadside park was constructed by the National Youth Administration (NYA) with the support of President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Development began in 1935, after the Mary Louise Hussey family conveyed the land upon which the park would be located. Following its completion in 1938, the park provided residents and travelers a pleasant venue for resting and picnicking. The park eventually fell in to disrepair. In 2008, attentive citizens and organizations, the Marion County Historical Commission, and state agencies cooperated in the park’s restoration and its listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836–2011

Erected 2011 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16866.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Charity & Public Work. A significant historical year for this entry is 1935.

Location. 32° 44.249′ N, 94° 20.783′ W. Marker is in Jefferson, Texas, in Marion County. Marker is on Farm to Market Road 2208, half a mile east of U.S. 59, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jefferson TX 75657, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Trammel's Trace (here, next to this marker);

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Jefferson (approx. ¾ mile away); Stilley-Young House (approx. 1.2 miles away); Early Jefferson Lodge Building (approx. 1.2 miles away); Old Federal Court and Post Office Building (approx. 1.3 miles away); Brown-Bender House (approx. 1.3 miles away); Mergenthaler Linotype Typesetting Machine (approx. 1.3 miles away); Captain William Perry (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jefferson.

Also see . . . Depression-era Roadside Parks.
Texas started building roadside parks in 1935 and by 1938 there were 674 such “wayside” parks scattered throughout Texas. Today, only 41 of the 1930s-style parks still exist statewide. Most of the old parks were built by the National Youth Administration during the Great Depression. The NYA provided employment to young people between 16 and 25. Lyndon B. Johnson, the nation’s 36th president, was the first director of the Texas NYA from 1935 to 1937. (Submitted on December 4, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park Marker (<i>wide view showing park</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

2. Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park Marker (wide view showing park)

Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park Marker (<i>wide view showing adjacent marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2014

3. Marion County Depression Era Roadside Park Marker (wide view showing adjacent marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2017. It was originally submitted on December 3, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 382 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 3, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on December 4, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.