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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°W
Area	Tyrrell Park 500 acres (2 km2); Cattail Marsh 900 acres (4 km2)
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 (2.0 km²). It includes the eighteen hole Henry Homberg Golf Course; the Beaumont Botanical Gardens and Warren Loose Conservatory, the second largest public conservatory in Texas; a 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 roughly 1500 acres of land in downtown Beaumont to the city to be used as a park.^[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.^[4]

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^[5] 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.^[6]
Beaumont Botanical Gardens – The Beaumont Botanical Gardens are located near the entrance to the park. The gardens include 23.5 acres (0.095 km²). A combination of over ten outdoor themed gardens as well as three indoor facilities. The 10,000 square feet (930 m²) 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.^[7]
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

The Cattail Marsh Nature Area consists of approximately 900 acres of levees, ponds, and mudflats. Located next to Hillebrandt Bayou, the marsh system was created as one of the final stages of waste water filtration for the city of Beaumont. The levees provide over twelve miles of hiking, biking, and horseback trails.^[8] ^[9] A 520 foot boardwalk with viewing platforms at a cost of $285,000 was constructed in 2016.^[10] The marsh and surrounding areas support a wide variety of local wildlife. Besides the many species of birds,^[11] numerous alligators can be found in the area as well. ^[12]

References

^ John H. Hunter and Gwendolyn Wingate (1983). Beaumont A Pictorial History (Special ed.). Donning Company. p. 96.
^ "Tyrrell Historical Library Digital Collections". Tyrrell Historical Library. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ "German Prisoners of War at Tyrrell Park". Tyrrell Historical Library. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ "Tyrrell Park plans can make Beaumont better". Hearst Newspapers II, LLC. June 3, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018. The center was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, and Beaumont has lost too many of its historical treasures to the wrecking ball. The 12,700-square-foot center is in rough shape now since it has been neglected for many years. But there's enough left to save, at least a 6,400-square-foot portion of it.
^ "Henry Homberg Golf Course Details". Henry Homberg Golf Course. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ "Tyrrell Park Golf Henry Homberg Course". FreeGolfTracker.com. FreeGolfTracker. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ Rhyan Henson (September 7, 2015). "Tyrrell Park stables to make a comeback". Worldnow and KBMT. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ "Tyrrell Park at a glance". TrailMeister.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ Tammy McKinley (October 15, 2010). "Waste Water Renews Marsh". Hearst Newspapers II, LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ Sara E. Flores (July 27, 2016). "New 520-foot boardwalk opens at Beaumont's Cattail Marsh". Hearst Newspapers, LLC II. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
^ "Tyrrell--Cattail Marsh--Hotspot Detail Report". Hotspot Birding. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
^ 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.