Oakdale Park
Why it's listed
Oakdale Park is a 14.56-acre campground and cottage park along the Paluxy River in Glen Rose, Texas. Henry J. Cox opened it on May 1, 1925, as an auto tourist camp, on land that once held a wagon camping ground around mineral wells. Its centerpiece is Oakdale Plunge, a 310,000-gallon concrete swimming pool filled with sulfur mineral water. Around the pool, an oval road leads to camp cottages and tent sites, and surviving buildings include the frame bathhouse and a casino where orchestras played for dances. Most buildings are one-story frame structures with Craftsman features such as exposed rafter tails and brackets. Limestone and concrete picnic tables and benches also remain from the 1920s. The park reflects the growth of automobile tourism in Glen Rose, where visitors came for mineral waters and new highways. It later added travel trailer sites in 1967 and bluegrass festivals in the 1970s. The western third of the park has lost its historic integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues Oakdale Park is significant under Criterion A as an intact example of a 1920s auto tourist camp tied to the rise of automobile tourism and the mineral-water resort economy of Glen Rose. Its 1925 swimming pool, bathhouse, casino, camp cottages and oval circulation network survive from the original layout. It continued to evolve as a recreation park through 1967, when travel trailer sites were added.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 12000352, listed June 15, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1019 NE. Barnard St., Glen Rose |
|---|---|
| County | Somervell County |
| Listed | June 15, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000352 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1924-1967 |
| Architect / builder | Henry J. Cox (developer/builder); the Dempsey brothers of Glen Rose constructed most of the 1920s-1930s buildings |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements: Craftsman; No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a recreation park with outdoor recreation, a swimming pool, music facility, camping and tourist cottages; owned by the City of Glen Rose (public local). |
| Acreage | 14.6 |
| Coordinates | 32.24232, -97.74594 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 12000352.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.