The Death of Fairfield Lake State Park
The year was 2023. Texas Parks and Wildlife made what I am sure had to be a difficult announcement: that the land that was occupied by Fairfield Lake State Park, a beloved and well trafficked park, had been sold by its lease holder to a private developer who had plans to turn the park into something much different - gating off the entire lake to build a golf course and high end resort.
It was literally the plot of a snowboarding movie.
I emailed, wrote, and called my state legislator, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW), and even the governor (though, I’m sure Abbott’s office just ignores all those emails). There was a bipartisan proposal to use eminent domain to seize the land. However, the cost of the land was found to be too expensive for TPW to purchase from the private land developer, who had purchased it for a fraction of the cost evaluation. It quickly became clear - Fairfield Lake State Park was going to permanently close on February 28, 2023, and it would not open again.
I decided, like many TPW enthusiasts, to visit the park to say goodbye before we irrevocably lost a plot of Texas public land to private real estate development.
The Park Itself
Fairfield Lake State Park was located in the stretch between Houston and Dallas, though closer to the northern side than the Gulf Coast. What makes Fairfield unique among other state parks was that it wasn’t technically on public land - rather, it was private land that had been free leased to TPW for over 50 years. During that time, money was poured into developing infrastructure and trails to make it a proper state park.
The energy on those final days could be best described as ‘resigned’. At that point in February, the state legislature was still considering action to protect the park, but most people could see the direction it was going. The gift shop had reduced prices to try and clear everything they could before they closed up shop. I normally stick with a postcard from a park (and maybe a pin or a magnet if it looks cool enough), but I spent a little more this time: a postcard, a handkerchief with the map of the park on it, and a few other mementos before they disappeared for good. I still have the printed trail map from my trip as well, pictured below.
The trails were great. While the Lake is obviously the selling point, the trail system stole it for me. The longest trail winded around the lake, and then broke into various branching paths beyond the trailhead similar to Missions Tejas. This meant you could create any kind of loop you wanted, and spend hours without seeing a trailhead. Despite how busy it was in the park, those secondary trails afforded relative privacy and quiet. I found myself at the edge of the property, at a T in the trail, surrounded by wood.
Navigating the secondary trails practically required a map and compass - in a good way. In total, I spent around 5 hours in the park that day, including a delicious lunch of trail charcuterie on a bench overlooking a pond off the main trail. There were a few interpretive hikes as well, detailing the life of a spider and its important role in the ecosystem.
Todd Investments and the Freestone Club
The group that owns the land, Todd Investments, purchased the land for fairly cheap - hundreds of thousands cheaper than it was evaluated by the state when they were exploring using eminent domain.
Their entire model is to purchase distressed, but somewhat developed public properties and invest in them. Most of their previous projects include redeveloping old office buildings, dead malls or shopping centers, and downtown buildings. However, they seem to have recently made a push toward turning more locations into lakefront luxury destinations. Their website proudly touts that the Freestone Golf and Lake club encompasses the ‘largest privately owned lake in the United States’ and offers a ‘generational retreat’. And, it specifically cites that there is no public access to the lake - gotta keep the poors out.
The pictures from their project site are depressing. Really worth destroying an entire ecosystem and a favorite public park so that a few hundred people of privilege can enjoy it.
Closing Thoughts
The quiet death of Fairfield Lake State Park was a disappointment for me and the state of Texas. I’m always going to mourn the loss of green spaces and public lands, especially in Texas (which is in the lower half of states when it comes to public lands). However, the people who live around Fairfield Lake State Park have the greatest lamentations. The Texas Observer has great article that captures the sense of loss.
For many locals, Fairfield Lake wasn’t just a park to visit - it was the community. It brought in tourists that helped local businesses and artists. It was a place where adults remembered visiting with their grandparents, and where they now took their children. Much of the outcry came from these residents who were watching a heart of their community being torn out.
That is a generational retreat. The use of the term to describe the hifalutin luxury golf course is just asinine.
I've attached some pictures from my visit to the park below.
Thank you for reading~