Cherokee State Park (Kentucky)
Encyclopedia
Cherokee State Park was a blacks-only state park located in Marshall County, Kentucky
, near Hardin, Kentucky
. It was a complement to the then-whites-only Kentucky Lake State Park (now Kenlake State Resort Park
), which was nearby. It was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority
, which went along with the concept of the "separate but equal
" mentality. The TVA gave the state of Kentucky a nineteen year lease, and promised to give Kentucky the area when it proved it could support the park. In its time it was dubbed "the finest colored vacation site in the South." This sentiment was echoed in a 1952 Kentucky state map.
Opened in 1951, Cherokee State Park was the third blacks-only state park and the first such state park in Kentucky
and the Southern United States
. It was the only blacks-only state park Kentucky had.
With a size of 300 acres (1.2 km²), Cherokee State Park had several amenities. These included a 200-person dining hall (1953), docks for fishing and boating, picnicking, a bathhouse for the lake's beach, and a restaurant. There was also twelve cottages(1953) for overnight lodging. It drew visitors from Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Northern Kentucky. Sand often had to be brought in to keep the beach usable, as it was rocky in nature.
With the desegregation movements in the 1960s, Cherokee State Park was closed, and its cottages moved to Kenlake. In 1998 the sculling
team of nearby Murray State University
used the property to highlight its many rewards, but did nothing to note its history. It is now part of Kenlake State Resort Park. Few of the original buildings remain, but there are plans to reopen the area.
On January 9, 2009, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...
, near Hardin, Kentucky
Hardin, Kentucky
Hardin is a city in Marshall County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 564 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hardin is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. It was a complement to the then-whites-only Kentucky Lake State Park (now Kenlake State Resort Park
Kenlake State Resort Park
Kenlake State Resort Park is a park located on the western shore of Kentucky Lake. The park's main entrance and most of its facilities are located in Marshall County; the park also extends into Calloway County. The nearest town of substantial size is Murray. The park encompasses of land, of...
), which was nearby. It was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
, which went along with the concept of the "separate but equal
Separate but equal
Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified systems of segregation. Under this doctrine, services, facilities and public accommodations were allowed to be separated by race, on the condition that the quality of each group's public facilities was to...
" mentality. The TVA gave the state of Kentucky a nineteen year lease, and promised to give Kentucky the area when it proved it could support the park. In its time it was dubbed "the finest colored vacation site in the South." This sentiment was echoed in a 1952 Kentucky state map.
Opened in 1951, Cherokee State Park was the third blacks-only state park and the first such state park in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. It was the only blacks-only state park Kentucky had.
With a size of 300 acres (1.2 km²), Cherokee State Park had several amenities. These included a 200-person dining hall (1953), docks for fishing and boating, picnicking, a bathhouse for the lake's beach, and a restaurant. There was also twelve cottages(1953) for overnight lodging. It drew visitors from Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Northern Kentucky. Sand often had to be brought in to keep the beach usable, as it was rocky in nature.
With the desegregation movements in the 1960s, Cherokee State Park was closed, and its cottages moved to Kenlake. In 1998 the sculling
Sculling
Sculling generally refers to a method of using oars to propel watercraft in which the oar or oars touch the water on both the port and starboard sides of the craft, or over the stern...
team of nearby Murray State University
Murray State University
Murray State University, located in the city of Murray, Kentucky, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years...
used the property to highlight its many rewards, but did nothing to note its history. It is now part of Kenlake State Resort Park. Few of the original buildings remain, but there are plans to reopen the area.
On January 9, 2009, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.