Remember the Alamo!

David Crockett State Park commemorates an American hero.

Everyone has heard of David Crockett. Most of us think of him as Davy. Every little boy in the South is gifted a coonskin cap at one point. He is most famous for his support of Texas independence at the Alamo, where he paid the ultimate price, along with 31 fellow Tennesseans. This led to the state motto today of the “Volunteer State”, a tradition which we continue to follow.

David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg TN celebrates the life of this pioneer, soldier, politician and industrialist. Even as a Tennessee history buff, I never understood so much of his story. He had many businesses, including a mill and distillery, while he was a militia member and state representative. After a flood, he faced financial difficulties and moved to West TN, where he was elected to the US House of Representatives. His career in politics came to an end when his opinion on the Indian Removal Act deviated from Andrew Jackson and James K Polk, the other notable TN politicians at the time. He believed the forced march and relocation of the Native People was wrong. The path of the Trail of Tears runs through the park, and right next to David Crockett’s property.

The park is great. Kids would love it and it has lots of the nice amenities of other TN state parks. There is a representation of a pioneer cabin and a replica of a mill. There is a bird of prey sanctuary/aviary with a nice selection of birds, unable to live in the wild.

An oddity that Sharon and I found was this clocktower! There is no signage-we had to search for its history. When the 1905 Lawrence County Courthouse was torn down in 1974 (boo), the clocktower was saved with the intention of using it or displaying it in some way. It was moved to the park where it has remained, unpreserved, for 50 years.

Another interesting aspect of Lawrenceburg is the high population of Amish. There are even special lanes on the highway to accommodate their horse and buggy transportation method. Regretfully, accidents still happen so make sure to be on the lookout for these special vehicles.

Oh, and by the way, there is a waterfall at David Crockett State Park! A majestic 4 foot beauty called, of course, Crockett Falls! But hey, it is a waterfall and is easily accessible from a parking area. The trail that runs along Little Shoal Creek has a few areas of overlook, but in the spring and summer those views are probably limited. The Shoal Creek Trail is about 3 miles in and back, but there are a lot of not very well marked detours. There is one area of steep elevation change, but other than that it was pretty standard unpaved woodland trail. The other trails in the park are longer, but they look flatter. For a short, easy overnight camp DCSP would be a nice get away!

I have been saving this meme for a while. So much truth here! Happy January!