Cumberland Mountain State Park will celebrate its 85th anniversary as a state park Friday, July 18, at the Museum terrace next to the Harvest Restaurant.
Park Manager Chip Hillis will speak, and folks can enjoy refreshments from noon-2 p.m. in a reception hosted by Ranger Mark Houston and the Friends of Cumberland Mountain State Park.
The Civilian Conservation Corps built the park in the 1930s. It became an official state park in 1940. Original buildings and the stone walkway by the restaurant and museum are built of Crab Orchard sandstone.
“The park is known for its beautiful massive concrete dam topped with seven arches,” said Laurie Snyder, secretary of the Friends group. “It is the largest masonry structure built by the CCC.”
After the anniversary celebration, the park and its Friends group will dedicate the pollinator meadow at the Museum terrace from 2-3 p.m. Hillis and members of the committee who applied for the Iris Grant will speak. Then folks can walk to the ADA trailhead to see how the pollinator meadow is progressing.
“Black-eyed susan and bee balm flowers are predominant so far,” Snyder said. “It will take a year or two to fill in. All the choices are native to this county. The big sign there has a link to the webpage for Friends of Cumberland Mountain State Park which will soon have a list of the native flowers planted and nurseries which carry them. The outdated section of the sign which spoke about the tarps that were down from May until December of 2024, will be updated soon.”
Snyder explained that part of the money from the state’s iris license plate sales when registering vehicles s partly go to grants to Tennessee State Parks to enhance or restore the natural beauty of the park system.
“CMSP received a grant in January of 2024 for $11,400,” she added. “Most of this was used to purchase the 3,800 plant plugs which 40 much appreciated and enthusiastic volunteers planted in seriously cold weather, late December 2024. Many native trees and shrubs were also planted. For instance, there are blueberries on a few bushes at the bend in the ADA trail.”
A tarp is now in place above the Shelter 1 picnic area and ball courts. Native pollinator friendly plants will be seeded and or planted this fall, and invasives are in the process of being removed to the left of that area.
“There also is a grove of baby hybrid chestnut trees which were given to the park in 2024, past the mountain bike trail starting point,” Snyder said. “The committee who applied for and administered the IRIS Grant are very much appreciated.”
That committee includes Hillis; Snyder; Steve Gale, maintenance supervisor; Ranger Houston; Connie Bowman, president of the Friends group; and Friends board members Linda Frazier, Brad Fox and Rhonda McCuistion.
“Also appreciated are several members who helped to water baby shrubs and trees during the many weeks of drought last year, including Mark Mann, Brian Graska, Rita Joe Matlock, Rita Senko, Dan and Sue Frey, Dana Girard and Carl Justice,” Snyder said.