A Vacation in Your Own Backyard - Tennessee State Library & Archives

A Vacation in Your Own Backyard</s>

“The Division recognizes that recreation is a fundamental human need

and that it contributes to the general welfare of our people.”

Director S. C. Taylor, Division of State Parks (1952)

After World War II, shorter work hours, more disposable income, and greater access to transportation contributed to a growing interest in tourism and recreation. From 1942 to 1952, park attendance ballooned from 250,000 to 2,280,000 people. In 1949, the Tennessee General Assembly approved $1.5 million to fund improvements to the state park system. These included the construction of new swimming pools and beaches, recreation halls, picnic areas, boat docks, and inns, as well as the remodeling of existing lodges and cabins.

Across the state, popular activities included swimming, boating, camping, and picnicking. In 1956, three state parks - Cedars of Lebanon, Chickasaw, and Standing Stone - even boasted square dancing among their recreations. Beginning in the 1970s, parks focused on developing educational and interpretive programs around local flora, fauna, and folklife. Many of these programs and activities are still available today.

Nora Shopshire, Bobby McAfee, Betty Kidd, and Floyd Hall enjoy a game of shuffleboard at Norris Dam State Park, 1952. Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976. ID: 22781

 

Booker T. Washington was the first state park in the United States, east of the Mississippi River, to open for African Americans. Until 1962, it and T.O. Fuller State Park were the only two parks open to African Americans in Tennessee.

Left: Young men diving at the swimming pool in T.O. Fuller State Park, 1967. Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976. ID: 23172

Right: Drawing of Booker T. Washington State Park, 1940. Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976. ID: 2196

Left: A group of women playing a game of croquet at Paris Landing State Park, 1957. RG 82: Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976. ID: 22909

Right: Archers taking aim in the Lebanon Cedar Forest Park (renamed Cedars of Lebanon State Park), 1938. RG 82: Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976. ID: 21982

Nora Shopshire, Bobby McAfee, Betty Kidd, and Floyd Hall enjoy a game of shuffleboard at Norris Dam State Park

Young men diving at the swimming pool in T.O. Fuller State Park

Drawing of Booker T. Washington State Park

Archers taking aim in the Lebanon Cedar Forest Park (renamed Cedars of Lebanon State Park)

A group of women playing a game of croquet at Paris Landing State Park

Back

<p align="center"><strong>A Vacation in Your Own Backyard</s></p>

<p align="center"><i>“The Division recognizes that recreation is a fundamental human need

<p align="center"><i>and that it contributes to the general welfare of our people.”</i></p>

<p align="center"><i><sub>Director S. C. Taylor, Division of State Parks (1952)</i></p></sub>