Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park

Cordell Hull Birthplace State Historic Park
Cordell Hull Cabin
Type	Tennessee State Park
Location	Byrdstown, Tennessee
Area	58 acres (0.23 km²)
Created	1997
Open	Year around
Cordell Hull Birthplace
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Byrdstown, Tennessee
Coordinates	36°34′54″N 85°10′55″W / 36.58167°N 85.18194°W / 36.58167; -85.18194Coordinates: 36°34′54″N 85°10′55″W / 36.58167°N 85.18194°W / 36.58167; -85.18194
Built	1850-1874
NRHP Reference #	72001250
Added to NRHP	1972

Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park is a state park in Pickett County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Cordell Hull (1871–1955) served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Franklin Roosevelt and played a pivotal role in the creation of the United Nations in the mid-1940s.

Geographical setting

Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park is situated along the Highland Rim, a barren and hilly area where the Cumberland Plateau descends westward into the Central Basin. The site is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the Wolf River, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the Obey River, and 7 miles (11 km) east of the confluence of these two rivers at Dale Hollow Lake. The park is located along Tennessee State Route 325 a few miles west of the road's junction with Tennessee State Route 111 at Byrdstown. The park is managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

History and features^[1]

The 45 acre (.18 km²) site includes the refurbished log cabin where Hull was born in 1871 and a museum housing a number of Hull's personal items, including his 1945 Nobel Peace Prize. In 1953, the State of Tennessee purchased the cabin from the Amonett family and placed it in the hands of the Cordell Hull Birthplace and Memorial Association. The cabin was taken apart and rebuilt in the 1950s after its purchase by the state, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The museum was built in the 1960s.

In the 1970s and 1980s, oversight of the Hull Birthplace shifted between Pickett State Park and Standing Stone State Park, although the staff of both were deemed lacking in the necessary background for historical interpretation. After a report by Tennessee Technological University placed the structure on its endangered places list in 1986, the State of Tennessee and Pickett County improved the site's management. The cabin was again rebuilt in 1996 in hopes of reestablishing historical accuracy that had been ignored by the previous rebuilding. In 1997, Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park was created when the state legislature approved funding for a full-time staff for the site.

Bunkum Cave

One of many substantial caves located on the limestone-rich Highland Rim, Bunkum Cave is situated along the headwaters of Cove Creek, just south of the Cordell Hull Birthplace. The mouth of the cave is approximately 100 feet (30 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) high (30m x 9m).^[2] A 1992 survey of the cave by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology found evidence that the cave had been occupied during the Middle Woodland period (c. 1000 B.C. - 1000 A.D.). William Hull, Cordell's father, used the cave to house a moonshine still.^[3] The state purchased the cave and the surrounding 29 acres (120,000 m²) in 2002 as an addition to the Cordell Hull Birthplace. Shortly thereafter, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) loop trail was constructed to allow access to the cave's entrance. At present, a permit is required to explore the cave beyond its lighted area.

References

↑ The information in this section obtained from: Tennessee Office of Strategic Planning, "The Cordell Hull Birthplace Area Management Plan," (December of 2002), 4-6.
↑ Lana Rossi, "Cordell Hull and Bunkum Cave," 2002. Retrieved: 16 December 2007.
↑ "The Cordell Hull Birthplace Area Management Plan" (2002), 14.

External links

Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park — official site
Cordell Hull Birthplace & Museum State Park - Friends of Cordell Hull, detailed information
Article from Tennessee History for Kids

Protected areas of Tennessee

Federal

National Parks	Great Smoky Mountains National Park

National Historical Parks & Sites	Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Manhattan Project National Historical Park

National Military Parks	Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Fort Donelson National Battlefield Fort Donelson National Cemetery Shiloh National Cemetery Shiloh National Military Park Stones River National Battlefield Stones River National Cemetery

National Recreation Areas	Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

National Forests	Cherokee National Forest

National Wildlife Refuges	Chickasaw Cross Creeks Hatchie Lake Isom Lower Hatchie Reelfoot Tennessee

Wilderness Areas	Bald River Gorge Big Frog Big Laurel Branch Citico Creek Cohutta Gee Creek Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Little Frog Mountain Pond Mountain Sampson Mountain Unaka Mountain

Other Protected Areas	Foothills Parkway Gatlinburg Bypass Natchez Trace Parkway Obed Wild and Scenic River

State

East Tennessee State Parks	Big Ridge Booker T. Washington Cove Lake Cumberland Mountain Davy Crockett Birthplace Fall Creek Falls Fort Loudoun Frozen Head Harrison Bay Hiwassee/Ocoee Indian Mountain Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail Norris Dam Panther Creek Red Clay Roan Mountain Rocky Fork Seven Islands Sycamore Shoals Warriors' Path

Middle Tennessee State Parks	Bicentennial Capitol Mall Bledsoe Creek Burgess Falls Cedars Of Lebanon Cordell Hull Birthplace Cummins Falls David Crockett Dunbar Cave Edgar Evins Fall Creek Falls Harpeth River Henry Horton Johnsonville Long Hunter Montgomery Bell Mousetail Landing Old Stone Fort Pickett Port Royal Radnor Lake Rock Island Sgt. Alvin C. York South Cumberland Standing Stone Tims Ford

West Tennessee State Parks	Big Cypress Tree Big Hill Pond Chickasaw Fort Pillow Meeman-Shelby Forest Nathan Bedford Forrest Natchez Trace Paris Landing Pickwick Landing Pinson Mounds Reelfoot Lake T.O. Fuller

State Forests	Bledsoe Cedars of Lebanon Chickasaw Chuck Swan Franklin Lewis Lone Mountain Martha Sundquist Natchez Trace Pickett Prentice Cooper Scott Standing Stone Stewart

State Natural Areas	Bays Mountain Big Bone Cave Colditz Cove Honey Creek House Mountain Piney Falls Laurel-Snow North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Ozone Falls Stillhouse Hollow Falls Stinging Fork Falls Virgin Falls

Other

Other	Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (web) - Tennessee Department of Agriculture (web)

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