Contact Information
RR 5, Box 80
Rusk, TX 75785
903-683-4850
Jim Hogg State Historical Park is 178.4 acres of East Texas Pineywoods east of Rusk in Cherokee County. The property was deeded by the City of Rusk in 1941 and was opened the same year.A memorial to the state's first native born governor, James Stephen Hogg, 1891 - 1895. During his term as state attorney general and governor, Hogg revolutionized state government and private business by strengthening public respect for law enforcement and establishing the Texas Railroad Commission to enforce state antitrust laws and promote fair business practices.
Attractions include a scale replica of the birthplace, housing, museum, and family cemetery. The park is a for day-use only and has a nature/interpretive trail and a picnic area. A strip mining area (iron ore) can be viewed from a rise on the nature trail, where there is an interpretive display. This mining was done in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Activities are picnicking, historical study, nature study, hiking, and bird watching. Bring your own charcoal, binoculars, camera, and insect repellent. Pets must be kept on a leash. The park offers self-guided and guided museum tours and nature trail tours; there is an entrance fee.
Facilities consist of restroom without shower; picnic sites (including two group picnic areas, 6 tables, standup cooking grills, and drinking water nearby); museum; 1.5 miles of day hike trails; a playground for small children; and a souvenir Texas State Park Store.
Nearby points of interest include Texas State Railroad, Caddoan Mounds, and Mission Tejas State Historical Parks, Rusk/Palestine and Tyler State Parks, and Historic Nacogdoches, Texas. Other attractions include Home of the National Archives, Resource/Research Center for Hogg Family Genealogy which hosts the National Hogg Genealogy Workshop and Hogg Family Genealogical Society. For more details, call or write the park manager.
Recreational opportunities offered by the Jim Hogg State Historical Park include guided historical tours, group picnicking and a nature trail.
Temperatures within the park range from a January average low of 35 degrees to a July average high of 94 degrees. The first/last freeze are November 15/ March 15. April, May, and September are the wettest months. Current weather conditions can vary from day to day. For more details, call the park or Park Information at 1-800-792-1112.
