Located in the heart of Central Texas, Downs Farm RV Park pays tribute to its hometown and heritage via its name, which is from one of Waco’s prominent early families. The Downs family operated a large farm in Waco starting in the late 1800s and they still own the fields adjacent to Downs Farms. The family built the first three-story structure in Waco lovingly dubbed the Downs Building. The family also made the bricks and built the attractive buildings of the Waco Female College, an influential institution for women in the nineteenth century, which formed in 1860, just four years after Waco Village incorporated.

More than just a space to call home, a Downs family member established what is now one of the city of Waco’s first newspapers – The Waco Examiner – shortly after the city’s incorporation. By the late 1880s, it claimed to have the largest circulation record of any paper in the great state of Texas. The community surrounding the retreat around the end of the 1800s had a school, three flour mills, a general store, two grocery stores and 100 residents.

Traveling down the road to Downs Farm, guests won’t just be nearing a destination, but following in the footsteps of those before them. The road, rigidly straight and level, was built on the previous location of the San Antonio Aransas Pass Rail Road’s northernmost line.

Three Downs children were raised by their aunt and uncle in the Fort House after their parents died. Alabama businessman William Fort, a prominent planter, built the Fort House with his wife, Dionita, in 1868, just after the Civil War.

The Forts and the Downs came from Alabama together in a covered wagon and intermarried. Chip and Joanna Gaines, the founders of the Magnolia TV and retail empire, recently purchased the now historic, more than 150-year-old Fort House, which has a state historical marker.

Come discover the rich history of Waco! Book your stay today!