Tyrrell Park and Cattail Marsh

Tyrrell Park and Cattail Marsh
Tyrrell Park entrance
Type	Municipal (Beaumont, Texas)
Location	5305 Tyrrell Park Road, Beaumont, Texas 77705
Coordinates	30°01′29″N 94°08′55″W / 30.024634°N 94.148526°WCoordinates: 30°01′29″N 94°08′55″W / 30.024634°N 94.148526°W
Area	Tyrrell Park 500 acres (2 km^2) Cattail Marsh 900 acres (4 km^2)
Created	Tyrrell Park: 1924 Cattail Marsh: 1993
Operated by	Tyrrell Park: Beaumont Parks and Recreation Department Cattail Marsh: Beaumont Water Utilities
Status	Open all year

Tyrrell Park is a municipal park located in Beaumont, Texas. The park has an area of around 500 acres (2 km²). It includes the eighteen hole Henry Homberg Golf Course; the 23.5 acres (0 km²) Beaumont Botanical Gardens and 10,000 square feet (929 m²) Warren Loose Conservatory, the second largest public conservatory in Texas; a 2.8 mile hiking trail; an equestrian center; and facilities for several sports and outdoor activities. Adjacent to the park is the 900 acres (4 km²) Cattail Marsh, a nature center with hiking trail. The park is located in a migratory bird flyway and Tyrrell Park is listed on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.

Tyrrell Park

In 1923, Captain W. C. Tyrrell donated the land used for the park along with a donation of a building in downtown Beaumont to the city of Beaumont.^[1] From November 24, 1935 and June 30, 1941, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 845 built drainage ditches, the park entrance way, the golf course, horse stables, roads, nature trails, picnic tables, and recreation buildings.^[2] The park was used as a prisoner of war camp for German prisoners during World War II.^[3] Many of the CCC buildings are no longer standing due to neglect.

Features

• Henry Homberg Golf Course - The Henry Homberg Golf Course is an eighteen hole golf course. It was originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s^[4] during the initial development of the park grounds. The course is 6,786 yards long from the blue tee box and 6,449 yard long from the middle tee box. Outbound, the lengths are 3,290 yards and 3,105 yards respectively while the inbound lengths are 3,496 yards and 3,344 yards.^[5]
• Beaumont Botanical Gardens – The Beaumont Botanical Gardens are located near the entrance to the park. The gardens include 23.5 acres. A combination of over ten outdoor themed gardens as well as three indoor facilities. The 10,000 sq ft Warren Loose Conservatory is the second largest public horticultural conservatory in Texas. The Binks Horticultural Center is near the entrance to the conservatory. Another indoor facility is the Bob Whitman Propagation House.
• Tyrrell Park Horse Stables - Idle for six years as of September, 2015, the horse stables are undergoing a renewed development. The twelve stall stable building dates back to the Civilian Conservation Corps/World War II era.^[6]
• Hiking and Biking Trails - The park has a 2.8 mile walking nature trail. Roads in the park can be used for biking.
• Other Features - Other features include covered pavilions, picnic areas, and athletic fields.

Cattail Marsh

Cattail Marsh Nature Area, located adjacent to Tyrrell Park and accessible by the park roads, is a constructed 900 acre area consisting of levees, ponds, and mudflats. Located next to Hillebrand Bayou, the marsh system was created as one of the final stages of waste water filtration for the city of Beaumont. One source notes that the area has "...around 200 native aligators..."^[7] The marsh along with the neighboring Tyrrell Park is in a migratory bird flyway so different varieties of birds frequent the area.^[8] The levees provide over twelve miles of hiking, biking, and horseback trails.^[9][10]

References

1. John H. Hunter and Gwendolyn Wingate (1983). Beaumont A Pictoral History (Special ed.). Donning Company. p. 96.
2. "Tyrrell Historical Library Digital Collections". Tyrrell Historical Library. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
3. "German Prisoners of War at Tyrrell Park". Tyrrell Historical Library. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
4. "Henry Homberg Golf Course Details". Henry Homberg Golf Course. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
5. "Tyrrell Park Golf Henry Homberg Course". FreeGolfTracker.com. FreeGolfTracker. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
6. Rhyan Henson (September 7, 2015). "Tyrrell Park stables to make a comeback". Worldnow and KBMT. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
7. Gerald E. McLeod (February 13, 2015). "Day Trips: Cattail Marsh, Beaumont". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 31, 2015. Cattail Marsh, on the western edge of Beaumont, has somewhere around 200 resident alligators.
8. "Tyrrell--Cattail Marsh--Hotspot Detail Report". Hotspot Birding. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
9. "Tyrrell Park at a glance". TrailMeister.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
10. Tammy McKinley (October 15, 2010). "Waste Water Renews Marsh". Hearst Newspapers II, LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2015.

External links

• Beaumont Botanical Gardens
• Henry Homberg Golf Course
• Tyrrell Park Stables
• Cattail Marsh YouTube
• Thousands of birds flock to Cattail Marsh YouTube