Buescher State Park is 1016.7 acres just north of Smithville in Bastrop County. Between the years 1933 and 1936, Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher originally deeded 318 acres of land to the state. After Emil Buescher’s death, his heirs donated 318 more acres. The rest of the parkland was acquired from the city of Smithville. The original park totaled 1738 acres and opened in 1940.
For more than seven decades the massive-looking Recreation Hall at Buescher State Park has stood firmly on a hill overlooking the park’s lake. The CHC was brought in because it was believed that the historic Civilian Conservation Corps structure had moved three inches downhill. The CHC scanned the structure to document the movement and provide the park with recommendations for the conservation of the Recreation Hall.