Mission Tejas
From deep within the Piney Woods of East Texas, Mission Tejas State Park marks the historic location of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, the first Spanish mission in the province of Texas, established in 1690. The discovery of a Spanish cannon barrel led to the park's development near the village of Weches, where the CCC set up a reforestation camp in 1933.
The Texas Forest Service developed San Francisco Mission State Forest as a tourist attraction and commemoration of early Texas history, just in time for the Texas Centennial celebration in 1936. Those individuals involved in the project--landscape architects and foresters with CCC Company 888, a “federal forest” company--sought to evoke the memory of the historic mission by building a "commemorative replica," a horizontal log building with wood-shake roof, a petrified wood fireplace, and double-hung windows. Although the young men enrolled in Company 888 spent time learning and demonstrating forest management techniques, they also expended considerable time and energy on the site’s construction projects.
When this state forest site was transferred to the State Parks Board in 1957, it was renamed Mission Tejas State Park.
- Park Location
- Houston County, in Weches at State Highway 21 and Park Road 44
- CCC Company
- 888
- Activity Dates
- 1933-1935
- CCC Construction
- Mission Tejas “Replica,” Park Road 44, Fire Towers, Small Dam and Pond, Picnic Areas, Trail Steps, Fire Pits, Water Fountains, and Pavilion. The Fire Towers have been removed and the Pavilion reconstructed, although the fireplace remains.
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- Learn More
- Park information from Texas Parks and Wildlife website
