Paris Landing State Park, undated. Tennessee Postcard Collection. ID: 49631.

In recent decades, the Division of State Parks underwent institutional changes. Previously under the Department of Conservation, the Division of Tennessee State Parks transferred to the newly combined agency of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. During that period, there was an initiative to expand and renovate the inns and resort facilities within various parks, including Pickwick Landing and Montgomery Bell.

Between 2001 and 2002, budgeting issues resulted in staff reductions and the temporary closure of certain parks. However, in the last ten years, the State of Tennessee has established four new parks, including Cummins Falls, Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork, Seven Islands, and Savage Gulf. Today, state parks represent Tennessee’s rich natural, cultural, and historic landscapes. In addition to the many natural and recreational parks mentioned, Tennessee State Parks preserves and protects historic and archaeological sites such as Sycamore Shoals, Dunbar Cave, and Pinson Mounds. It is one of the only park systems in the country to offer free admission. With around 38 million visitors every year, Tennessee State Parks continues to serve generations of Tennesseans — just as its early advocate, Wilbur Nelson, envisioned over one hundred years ago.

Left: Big Ridge State Park, undated. Tennessee Postcard Collection. ID: 48787.

Right: Dunbar Cave, undated. Tennessee Postcard Collection. ID: 49419.

This exhibit includes items from sixteen collections spanning nine decades. The history of Tennessee State Parks as represented in the Library & Archives holdings is spread throughout many collections from governors’ papers to personal papers. When combined with the Department of Conservation agency records, a fuller picture of the legacy of Tennessee State Parks emerges. Many of the photos used in this exhibit can be found online in the Tennessee Virtual Archive. We also invite you to explore these materials and more in person at the Library & Archives.

Featured Collections:

• Archives Photograph Collection
• Civilian Conservation Corps in Tennessee Collection, 1933-1942
• Governor Austin Peay Papers, 1923-1927
• Governor Gordon Browning Papers, 1937-1939
• Governor Gordon Browning Papers, 1949-1952
• Lazenby Collection of Radnor Lake Materials, 1793-1988
• Library Photograph Collection
• Looking Back at Tennessee Photograph Collection
• Tennessee Arts Commission Folk Arts Program Records, 1889-2017
• Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection, 1937-1976
• Tennessee Department of Conservation Records, 1919-1987
• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Geology Records, 1893-1973
• Tennessee Postcard Collection
• Tennessee State Parks Brochures
• Tennessee State Parks Folklife Project Collection, 1979-1984
• Tennessee Trails Association Records, 1951-1997