Jeff Davis State Recreational Area

Jeff Davis State Recreational Area is on an unpaved road just east of U.S. Interstate 35 on the eastern edge of Hillsboro in central Hill County. The park originated as a project of the Confederate Veterans and Old Settlers Association of Hill County. Veterans of the Civil War and the families of the first settlers of the county held annual reunions at campgrounds. Gradually, the number of participants dwindled, and in 1924 the land was deeded to the State Parks Board. Subsequently, the board leased it to an American Legion post. But the park remained little used, and the legionnaires transferred control of the thirty-seven acres to the Hill County Roundup Club; its members constructed a small arena, where a rodeo is held once a year. Other than this, the park remains abandoned. As a result of this disuse, the recreational area is overgrown with weeds, and no campgrounds or picnic tables are available for campers or picnickers. One guide to Texas parks concluded that "you do not want to come here."