Fort Boggy State Park is composed of 1,847 acres located in Leon County among the wooded terrain, rolling hills, bottom land meadows, and wetlands. Wildlife viewing opportunities includes white-tailed deer, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, and beavers. A large portion of Fort Boggy State Park is subject to flooding during wet periods, which in turn provides an excellent habitat for waterfowl and other varieties of aquatic wildlife. Ample water availability provides diversity among vegetation. The woodlands are composed of post oak, elm, hickory, sweetgum, and pecan accompanied by the undergrowth of dogwood, sassafras, American beauty berry, yaupon, hawthorn, Alabama supplejack, and green briar. The grasslands of the park are composed of Indian grass, purpletop, little bluestem, switchgrass, and the highly endangered Centerville Brazos mint plant.
The property was donated to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in 1985, by Eileen Crain Sullivan. The area became the first established settlement north of the Old San Antonio Road in the early 1840s, between the Navasota and Trinity rivers.
Two neighboring Indian tribes lived nearby and were prone to settlement raids for livestock. The Keechi lived in a village located approximately three miles of present day Centerville, and the Kickapoo lived along the banks of the Trinity River in what is known as the Kickapoo Shoals. An Indian raid by one of these tribes prompted the early settlers to build a fort for protection. Fort Boggy was a palisade fort (upright logs set in the ground) was 75 yards square and enclosed two blockhouses and 11 dwellings that housed some 75 settlers by the end of 1840, according to TPWD. The Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar authorized the formation of a military company for Fort Boggy for protection. Indian attacks raged on and Captain Thomas Greer was killed in 1841 on a mission to scout Keechi Creek. Sickness plagued families at the fort, and they eventually retreated to their respective homes. Some years later, Indian raids decreased along with the need for the fort. The fort fell into ruins as the settlement expansion shifted toward nearby the Leona population.
Fort Boggy State Park land was farmed for centuries by area families, some of which have been noted for their tenure of African-American ownership. The land was consolidated and removed from cultivation in the 1930s, and lied fallow for nearly 60 years. The land along Boggy Creek has mostly returned to its original state of pristine beauty that dominated the region some 150 years ago.
The park offers swimming in a beautiful beach area, fishing, hiking, and biking opportunities composed of a two-mile nature trails. There is a boat ramp and the lake (approximately 15 acres) which is open to small boats, canoes, kayaks, etc. A reservable open air group pavilion, made of native rock and timber sits on a hill, overlooking the lake. There are picnic tables in the pavilion and a BBQ pit available in the back. The pavilion will hold approximately 50 people.
Elevation: 496 ft.
Weather: January minimum 35 degrees; average 35 degrees; July maximum 96 degrees. Rainfall: 39″ Schedule:
Schedule: The park is open Wednesday thru Sunday (for day use only 8am-sunset) and closed Monday – Tuesday.
Directions: The park is located about 4 miles south of Centerville on State Highway 75.
No entrance fees are charged at this park.
Day Use Facilities
1 – Group picnic pavilion (capacity 50): $50 per day