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    Tennessee State Parks
    Tennessee State Parks
    Tennessee State Parks
    Ebook173 pages1 hour

    Tennessee State Parks

    By Lori Jill Smith and Jane Banks Campbell

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    The story of Tennessee's state parks began more than 80 years ago when New Deal agencies worked to rebuild portions of Tennessee's eroded landscape. Along with these conservation measures, the state's early parks were created through the development of recreational areas. The Tennessee Valley Authority built dams that contributed to recreational attractions, and the Division of State Parks was started in 1937. All of these efforts in addition to Tennessee's natural beauty have resulted in 56 state parks. Through their postcard collections, the authors invite readers to discover each park's special place in Tennessee's history and landscape.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateFeb 20, 2017
    ISBN9781439659625
    Tennessee State Parks
    Author

    Lori Jill Smith

    Lori Jill Smith holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from Vanderbilt University, has taught adjunct at Columbia State Community College, and enjoys historical research, photography, and postcard collecting. Jane Banks Campbell is a freelance writer and former professor of mass communications and English for 22 years at Columbia State. They authored Arcadia's Postcard History Series: Manchester.

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      Tennessee State Parks - Lori Jill Smith

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      INTRODUCTION

      Within its borders—from the cypress marshes in the west to the hills and valleys in the middle region to the lofty mountains in the east—Tennessee has 56 state parks that showcase the state’s natural beauty, recreational offerings, historical significance, and breathtaking wonders.

      According to Deputy Commissioner Brock Hill of the Tennessee Bureau of State Parks and Conservation, Tennessee State Parks have been a part of the lives of the people of Tennessee since 1937. Over those 80 years, many of our guests’ memories have been documented in postcards. This collection of vintage postcards demonstrates the special qualities that our state park system has always held in the hearts of Tennesseans. In many ways, our state parks are the story of us: the story of the known and the unknown heroes, the landscapes that protect these special places and the stories they hold forever.

      State parks did not begin to develop in Tennessee until the 1930s. The federal government, working through the National Park Service and New Deal agencies, began the development and provided the groundwork for the structure of the parks. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) made a major contribution to the development of Tennessee’s state parks when it constructed recreational areas along the shoreline of lakes. New Deal agencies, such as the Resettlement Administration (RA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), played important roles in the development of the state’s early parks. The RA worked to relocate residents from lands severely eroded by overuse. That land was then reforested and measures to control erosion through check dams and putting in plants such as kudzu were introduced. The CCC and the WPA worked to build much of the infrastructure of the early parks, including cabins, swimming beaches, lodges, picnic areas, smaller lakes, roads and trails, and bathhouses. Tennessee’s oldest parks and forests were deeded to the state’s Wildlife Resources Agency (WRA) by the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, or TVA.

      Tennessee has 85 state natural areas. Twelve state parks are either state natural areas or have a state natural area within their boundaries. These parks include Big Cypress Tree, Burgess Falls, Cumberland Mountain, Dunbar Cave, Fall Creek Falls, Frozen Head, Meeman-Shelby Forest, Montgomery Bell, Pickett, Radnor Lake, Rock Island, and South Cumberland. Eight parks are designated as historic parks and include Cordell Hull Birthplace, Fort Loudoun, Fort Pillow, Johnsonville, Port Royal, Red Clay, Sgt. Alvin C. York, and Sycamore Shoals. Old Stone Fort and Pinson Mounds are archaeological parks, and Seven Islands is a birding park.

      Since the parks are located throughout the state, the organization of the state’s park system can be presented in various ways. The authors have selected a presentation of the 56 parks by dividing the state into its three regions—western, middle, and eastern—and have presented the parks alphabetically in each section. The number of postcards shown for each park was influenced by availability or mere existence. The year in parentheses following the name of the state park in the text is when the park became a part of the Department of Environment and Conservation (or formerly the Department of Conservation, prior to 1991).

      The book is divided into three chapters. The first chapter, State Parks of West Tennessee, includes 12 state parks that are located from the western border of the state to the border between West and Middle Tennessee, which is formed by the reach of the Tennessee River flowing northward toward Kentucky from Mississippi and Alabama. These parks include Big Cypress, Big Hill Pond, Chickasaw, Fort Pillow, Meeman-Shelby Forest, Natchez Trace, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Paris Landing, Pickwick Landing, Pinson Mounds, Reelfoot Lake, and T.O. Fuller. Cypress trees, lakes, historic monuments, and archaeological finds are among the features of these parks.

      The second chapter, State Parks of Middle Tennessee, includes 26 parks that are located from the Tennessee River boundary to the Cumberland Plateau. These parks include Bicentennial Capitol Mall, Bledsoe Creek, Burgess Falls, Cedars of Lebanon, Cordell Hull Birthplace, Cumberland Mountain, Cummins Falls, David Crockett, Dunbar Cave, Edgar Evins, Fall Creek Falls, Harpeth River, Henry Horton, Johnsonville Historic Park, Long Hunter, Montgomery Bell, Mousetail Landing, Old Stone Fort, Pickett, Port Royal, Radnor Lake, Rock Island, Sgt. Alvin C. York Historic Park, South Cumberland, Standing Stone, and Tims Ford. Waterfalls, Tennessee heroes, and rivers are among the features of these parks.

      The third chapter, State Parks of East Tennessee, includes 18 state parks that are located between the Cumberland Plateau and the eastern border of the state. These parks include Big Ridge, Booker T. Washington, Cove Lake, Cumberland Trail, David Crockett Birthplace, Fort Loudoun, Frozen Head, Harrison Bay, Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River, Indian Mountain, Norris Dam, Panther Creek, Red Clay, Roan Mountain, Rocky Fork, Seven Islands, Sycamore Shoals, and Warriors’ Path. Hiking trails, historical landmarks, white-water rafting, and bird-watching are among some of the features of these parks.

      Many of the postcards shown in this book were mailed to people across the country. Some describe the scenery at a park while others pen a sometimes humorous or eventful message. Select passages from the messages are given in the captions of some postcards.

      Along with individuals who so generously shared their time, research help, and support, the authors have relied on previously published research for information to include in the caption text for each postcard. Among these valuable sources are Carroll Van West’s The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, Tennessee’s Historic Landscapes, and Tennessee’s New Deal Landscape; Bevley R. Coleman’s A History of State Parks in Tennessee; Jerrold Hirch’s The WPA Guide to Tennessee; Harold L. Ickes’s Park Structures and Facilities; the Tennessee Conservationist; and the Tennessee Magazine.

      Many of the postcards collected for this book are of the real-photo type. This requires that a photograph be directly printed on postcard paper stock. These vintage real-photo postcards are works of art by photographers who traveled across the state capturing scenes

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