{"id":1669,"date":"2010-11-05T14:49:24","date_gmt":"2010-11-05T19:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=1669"},"modified":"2010-11-05T14:49:24","modified_gmt":"2010-11-05T19:49:24","slug":"pickett-state-park-dedicates-new-civilian-conservation-corps-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2010\/11\/05\/pickett-state-park-dedicates-new-civilian-conservation-corps-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Pickett State Park Dedicates New Civilian Conservation Corps Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 4th Ceremony Commemorated the CCC\u2019s Contributions to Tennessee; Memorial Statue Announced<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Jamestown, TN<\/strong> – Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke was joined by Tennessee State Parks, elected officials and members of the community on Thursday, November 4th, at Pickett State Park for the official dedication of the park\u2019s new Civilian Conservation Corps Museum.<\/p>\n

The museum features interpretative exhibits and artifacts, depicting the Civilian Conservation Corps\u2019 contributions to Tennessee\u2019s parks and natural areas, while recognizing the CCC\u2019s extensive efforts across the country. An interactive touch-screen exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to hear directly from former CCC workers, sharing their stories about their time working to construct Pickett State Park. Developed by Tennessee State Parks, the museum is in the same location of the former park office, constructed by the CCC in the 1930s.<\/p>\n

\"Environment<\/a>

Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke (center) joined former CCC workers from across the state, along with Tennessee State Parks officials, at Pickett State Park\u2019s dedication of the new Civilian Conservation Corps Museum. (Photo by Terry Bonham)<\/p><\/div>\n

Yesterday\u2019s dedication program featured park interpreters, historians and period music. Thirteen former CCC workers from across the state were in attendance as special guests. Descendants of CCC workers came from as far away as Jackson, Tennessee, to honor their fathers and to take part in this unique recognition. Former CCC worker Ben Hutcherson of Nashville brought his homemade banjo and entertained the crowd with songs he remembered from his experience in CCC Company # 1454.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new museum will recognize those young men of the CCC who left their mark on our public lands,\u201d said Commissioner Fyke. \u201cFew men have the satisfaction of knowing they made such a significant contribution in their lifetime \u2013 namely, one that will last through the ages and touch the lives of so many.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fyke also announced that Tennessee will soon have its first CCC worker statue, which has been commissioned by Tennessee State Parks and will be placed at the museum\u2019s courtyard. The six-foot, 400-pound bronze statue will be the 55th statue installed in the United States to honor the CCC\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

\"Thirteen<\/a>

Thirteen former CCC workers from across the state were in attendance as special guests at Pickett State Park\u2019s new Civilian Conservation Corps Museum dedication. (Photo by Terry Bonham)<\/p><\/div>\n

Established in 1933 by the U.S. Congress as a measure of the New Deal program, the Civilian Conservation Corps provided work and vocational training for unemployed young men through conserving and developing the country\u2019s natural resources. From 1933 to 1942, enrollees performed a variety of conservation activities, including reforestation, soil conservation, road construction, flood and fire control, and agricultural management. The CCC was instrumental in the development of a number of Tennessee State Parks, and the results of CCC members\u2019 efforts can still be enjoyed today.<\/p>\n

The CCC built the first state parks in Tennessee, including Pickett, Reelfoot, Montgomery Bell, Norris Dam, South Cumberland, Big Ridge, T.O. Fuller, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Booker T. Washington, Harrison Bay, Cove Lake, Pickwick Landing and Cumberland Mountain State Parks. They completed work in 17 different Tennessee State Parks. Many of their park structures are still in use today.<\/p>\n

Approximately 70,000 Tennesseans served in the CCC in various locations around the country. There were 77 CCC camps located throughout Tennessee. Completed CCC work included dams, bridges, roads, buildings, parks and numerous restoration and conservation sites across the state.<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/a>

Former CCC worker Ben Hutcherson playing his homemade banjo with Bob Fulcher and Brian Vollmer of Cumberland Trail State Park. The trio entertained the crowd at Pickett State Park\u2019s dedication of the new Civilian Conservation Corps Museum. (Photo by Terry Bonham)<\/p><\/div>\n

Situated in a remote section of the Upper Cumberland Plateau, Pickett State Park is known for its geological, botanical and scenic wonders. The park lies within the 19,200-acre Pickett State Forest and adjacent to the massive 120,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, both areas containing prime wilderness country. Visitors to the park can explore large rock houses, natural sandstone bridges, scenic bluffs and wild mountain streams. The park memorializes and preserves the unique work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who first developed the park.<\/p>\n

Pickett State Park\u2019s Civilian Conservation Corps Museum is open from 8:00am to 4:30pm daily. For additional information about the park, please visit www.tnstateparks.com\/Pickett<\/a> or call 931-879-5821.<\/p>\n

Tennessee’s 53 state parks offer diverse natural, recreational and cultural experiences for individuals, families, or business and professional groups. State park features range from pristine natural areas to 18-hole championship golf courses. For a free brochure about Tennessee State Parks, call toll free 1-888-867-2757. For additional information, visit our Web site at www.tnstateparks.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

November 4th Ceremony Commemorated the CCC\u2019s Contributions to Tennessee; Memorial Statue Announced Jamestown, TN – Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke was joined by Tennessee State Parks, elected officials and members of the community on Thursday, November 4th, at Pickett State Park for the official dedication of the park\u2019s new Civilian Conservation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2474,2477,2479,2473,2472,2481,2396,2482,2480,2275,526,2399,2400,2401,2324,2475,2476,2478,2274,2149],"class_list":["post-1669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-leisure","tag-ben-hutcherson","tag-big-ridge-state-park","tag-booker-t-washington-state-park","tag-civilian-conservation-corps","tag-civilian-conservation-corps-museum","tag-cove-lake-state-park","tag-cumberland-mountain-state-park","tag-cumberland-plateau","tag-harrison-bay-state-park","tag-jim-fyke","tag-montgomery-bell-state-park","tag-nathan-bedford-forrest-state-park","tag-norris-dam-state-park","tag-pickett-state-park","tag-pickwick-landing-state-park","tag-reelfoot","tag-south-cumberland-state-park","tag-t-o-fuller-state-park","tag-tennessee-department-of-environment-and-conservation","tag-tennessee-state-parks-and-natural-areas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1669"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1671,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions\/1671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}