Cumberland County Tennessee has a true gem hidden in plain sight. The Cumberland Mountain State Park was created in the heart of the Homesteads Community, a product of the New Deal legislation headed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to assist Americans in finding new work as the nation was climbing out of the Great Depression. This new community, having over 230 resettled families, needed a recreation center, so the construction began.
Byrd Creek runs through the midst of the park, and while a creek can be a wonderful place for relaxation, a lake would be much better. The designers and engineers felt that damming up the creek would create a nice reservoir that could be utilized by the families of the Homesteads community, and folks from around the region. The Byrd Creek Dam was completed in 1938, and residents began using the park’s amenities soon after.
The park brought the people of the Homesteads, and Cumberland County as a whole, clean and comfortable areas to camp, fish, and swim, as well as courts and fields for various sports activities. Cabins were constructed, picnic tables put in place, and trails were cut to make hiking around the lake and along the creek a pleasurable experience. The Cumberland Mountain State Park has continued to serve the county as a center of recreation ever since.
