Pecan Acres Park, Nacogdoches, Texas

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Pecan Acres Park was an abandoned pecan tree grove many years ago when I was in college at Stephen F Austin State University (SFASU) decades ago. Later the City of Nacogdoches got ownership of the grove and made Pecan Park and started City maintenance of the Park that became Pecan Acres Park a few years later.

This is a nice free city park at 826 Starr Ave. open during daylight hours. If you find a few pecans on the ground it is OK to put pecans in your pocket.

The main enterence is on Starr Ave and takes you into a large parking lot. From there it is nearby the large shaded pavilion, rest rooms and large play areas for the young. With my two photos of "pecan trees" are what looks like small bushes; but these are newly planted pecan trees to replace the older trees that are gone. This is a very good place for outdoor recreation for people and families.

Walking through the pecan trees you can see a steel structure in the distance. Walking closer the structure is a real steel framed old historic bridge. This is the Goodman bridge built in 1929 connecting Nacogdoches County to Cherokee county crossing the Angelina river. The bridge was declared structurally deficient in about 2000 and closed. There were several organizations that wanted the Goodman Bridge,; but in 2012 it was moved here to Pecan Park. At its current location there is a Historic Marker with a brief history of the Goodman Bridge.

Not far South of the bridge is the dirt back entry to Pecan Acres Park. I arrived to find a large hackberry tree had fell blocking this rear entry. The City was working on cutting that tree. I asked about the firewood. The City worker said that I could pick up all the firewood that I want (free). If it was a down pecan tree I would load up my small pickup truck with over a ton of wood, but I did not want any hackberry wood.

The back entry by a dirt road (to Logansport Drive) had a large parking lot with much of the lot being shaded. There Pecan Acres Park joins up with the maintained La Nana Creek trail (for walking and bicycles) that follows La Nana Creek for at least five miles.

I used to cross the Goodman Bridge at its original location over the Angelina River by the Goodman Liquor Store. It was a one lane bridge. I went West on US hwy 225 about 25 miles from Nacogdoches. At "Deadmans Curve" (speed limit 5 mph) you make the left turn to a dirt road that takes you to the Angelina river; now with a new bridge. Sorry, I did not get photos of original bridge at Angelina River.

I appreciate the City of Nacogdoches for preserving this historic bridge that is a highlight for Pecan Acres Park.

The Goodman bridge was built for about $24,000 USD. The cost of moving and renovating the bridge was over 1,000,000 USD.

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Photos

apecan 01c pecan trees
with newly planted pecan trees

water fountain
and shaded bench

Goodman Bridger
and old guy