Navarro County brings together a range of travel interests: a rural, agriculture-oriented setting, fishing waters and historic sites. At the water, activities range from fishing to camping; at other stops, traces of settlement and early oil production tell the story of the region.
Reservoirs and Fishing
Richland Chambers Reservoir lies on Richland and Chambers Creeks, southeast to east-southeast of Corsicana on U.S. Highway 287. It is suitable for fishing for catfish, crappie, white bass and hybrid striped bass. Navarro Mills Lake is north of Texas Highway 31 between Waco and Corsicana. There are very good opportunities for fishing for white crappie and catfish there; fishing for white bass is very good at certain times.
The fish species mentioned distinguish the two waters as fishing destinations: at Richland Chambers Reservoir, the selection ranges from crappie and catfish to white bass and hybrid striped bass. White crappie and catfish are especially highlighted for Navarro Mills Lake; white bass fishing is described as good “at certain times.” If fishing is the focus of your trip, you can start by choosing the species that interest you.
Camping, Water Access and Nature
Wolf Creek Park has 50 sites with water and electric hookups, 22 sites without electric hookups, two double sites and one group site. The park also has a fishing pier and a two-lane boat ramp with a dock. For planning purposes, the main considerations are the different types of sites and the available water access.
At Navarro Mills Lake, both Liberty Hill Park and Pecan Point Park offer camping. Liberty Hill Park has boat ramps, a fishing pier and a swimming beach; it is also a good place to observe wildflowers. It can be reached via State Highway 31, Dawson and FM 709. Check road conditions before you travel. Pecan Point Park also offers camping. Guests can watch birds there year-round; the park also provides diverse habitat for abundant wildlife and is a good place to observe wildflowers.
Important information about water access: the swimming beach at Oak Park is exclusively for registered campers. Oak Park Day Use is a separate park for day visitors. Since operating rules can change, check access requirements before your visit.
Settlement History and Oil Production
Spring Hill is considered the oldest settlement in Navarro County. Its springs supplied Indigenous peoples with water for centuries before white settlers arrived. A cemetery and several foundations along abandoned roads mark the site of the former settlement. The history of the place thus connects the springs’ long use with traces of later settlement.
The historic center of the Navarro Mills Community is also reflected in several buildings and memorial sites: a cemetery, a Baptist church founded in 1901 and a tabernacle built in 1915 mark the area. Long Prairie Cemetery is designated a Historic Texas Cemetery. The cemetery contains the graves of veterans of conflicts dating back to the American Civil War. The cemetery at the former Liberty Hill settlement marks an Anglo-American community that arose in the decade after the 1838 Battle Creek Massacre. It is located one mile west of the site of the massacre.
Several places in Corsicana bring the history of the oil industry to life. Petroleum Park marks the site of the first oil discovery in Texas: in 1894, a well drilled for water there led to commercial oil production. The Magnolia Oil Refinery in Corsicana was the site of the first commercial oil refinery in Texas in 1898. Exxon Mobil, successor to Magnolia Petroleum and Mobil Oil, continues to maintain one of the refinery’s four original brick-lined furnaces. Corsicana was designated an official Texas Main Street City in 1985.
Another cultural stop is the Pearce Museum, with its Civil War collection of more than 15,000 documents. Together with the historic cemeteries, settlement traces and sites connected to oil history, it offers a different focus from the lakes: here, chapters spanning widely separated periods take center stage. You can shape your trip around what matters more to you: fishing and nature watching, or the history of settlement and oil production.
Discover more destinations: Corsicana, Austin County, Moore, Clay, Hood County, Montague, Medina County, Lamb.
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