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Located in the southeastern part of the country, in Pickett County, Tennessee, Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park honors and celebrates the legacy of Cordell Hull (1871-1955) who occupied the office of the U.S. Secretary of State under President Franklin Roosevelt and played a key role in the creation of the United Nations in the mid-1940s.

Geographical setting

Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park stretches along the barren and hilly Highland Rim, an area where the Cumberland Plateau goes down westward into the Central Basin. Managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the site is about 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 situated along Tennessee State Route 325 several miles west of the road's junction with Tennessee State Route 111 at Byrdstown.

History

On the territory of the 45 acre (.18 km) site visitors can see the refurbished log cabin where Cordell Hull was born in 1871 and a museum exhibiting a lot of Hull's personal items, including his 1945 Nobel Peace Prize. In 1953 the historic cabin was bought from the Amonett family by the State of Tennessee and assigned to the Cordell Hull Birthplace and Memorial Association. The cabin was dissembled and reconstructed in the 1950s, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The museum was constructed in the 1960s.

In the 1970s and 1980s, either Pickett State Park or Standing Stone State Park oversaw the Hull Birthplace. In 1986 Tennessee Technological University made the report that placed the building on its endangered places list. After that the State of Tennessee and Pickett County took greater care about the site. In 1996 the cabin was again rebuilt with the effort to reestablish historical accuracy that had been mostly neglected by the previous reconstructions. Currently it is available for viewing. Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park operates since 1997 when the state began funding full-time personnel for the site.

Bunkum Cave

In addition to the historic section of the park, there is a scenic trail to spectacular Bunkum Cave 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). According to the report revealed by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology in 1992 that cave had been occupied during the Middle Woodland period (c. 1000 B.C. - 1000 A.D.). In 2002 the cave and the surrounding 29 acres (120,000 m2) were purchased by the state as an addition to the Cordell Hull Birthplace. Soon after that, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) loop trail was created to allow access to the cave's entrance. To explore the cave beyond its lighted area visitors should get a permit.

If you are planning to explore and discover Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park consider staying at BEST WESTERN Thunderbird Motel located in the vicinity of the park or BEST WESTERN Albany Garden Inn located near Byrdstown.