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<p align="center"><strong>Dedicated to the Generations Yet to Come</p></s>

<p align="center"><strong>The Legacy of Tennessee State Parks</s></p>

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In 2022, Tennessee celebrated the 85th anniversary of the Division of State Parks. Considered one of the best systems in the country, Tennessee is home to 59 state parks.* The number continues to grow with the addition of Middle Fork Bottoms State Park in West Tennessee as of fall 2024. Today, the mission of Tennessee State Parks is to protect the state’s unique natural, cultural, and historic resources.

To commemorate this milestone, the Library & Archives has brought together materials from numerous collections to illustrate the impact of state parks in Tennessee.

<sub>*In 2021, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, named Tennessee State Parks as a finalist for the 2021 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.</sub>

Introduction
Introduction
Park lodge built by the WPA in Cedars of Lebanon State Park
The New Deal and State Parks
Nora Shopshire, Bobby McAfee, Betty Kidd, and Floyd Hall enjoy a game of shuffleboard at Norris Dam State Park
A Vacation in Your Own Backyard
Tennessee State Parks Folklife Project
Tennessee State Parks Folklife Project
"To Preserve & Protect"
"To Preserve & Protect"
Our State Parks Today
Our State Parks Today
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