What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 4:30pm Saturday 9am - 4:30pm Sunday 9am - 4:30pm

Cordell Hull Birthplace State Historic Park

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Byrdstown, TN
Cordell Hull Birthplace State Historic Park

The park is the birthplace of the longest-serving Secretary of State under President Roosevelt.

This historic park is notable for its opportunities to learn about the Nobel Prize winner, Cordell Hull. A library that has his complete book collection, a cave to explore, and a lookout spot, are all some of the attractions at this park. More information on this park and many more can be found at the TN State Parks website.

09/06/2026

Celebrate National Public Lands Day and TN Serves by sharing your Tennessee volunteer spirit at our upcoming volunteer event on September 23rd, 2026, at 9:00am!

National Public Lands Days is the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands, held each year. Come lend a hand and help care for your beautiful Tennessee State Parks!

For more information or to register please visit: https://tnstateparks.com/events/tn-servesnational-public-lands-day-2026-0

09/05/2026

Join us this fall for a day full of living history at Cordell Hull's Birthplace!

During this immersive experience, visitors will be able to interact with our historians and interpreters to learn what it was like for families, like the Hulls, who lived in Tennessee during the 1870s.

We will have live music for some portions of the day and one of those bands will be the ! Come out to enjoy some great music!

There is no admission fee for this event. This program will occur rain or shine so prepare for the weather.

09/02/2026

🌾 Join us this fall for Hull’s Harvest at Cordell Hull’s Birthplace State Historic Park! 🌾

Step back into the 1870s for an immersive day of farming, food, music, and traditional skills as we prepare the farm for winter!

While Hull’s Harvest has a similar theme to our spring event, Farming Up the Past, this fall experience focuses on the harvest season. When families would gather their crops, preserve food, and make sure the farm was ready to face the long winter ahead.

Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with our living historians and interpreters as they demonstrate what life was like for families like the Hulls living in rural Tennessee in the 1870s.

🌽 Activities will include:
🔥 Blacksmithing
🧶 Crochet
🥕 Garden harvesting
🥩 Meat smoking
🎶 Traditional music
…and much more!

As you make your way around the park and visit with our resident farmers, you’ll discover that nothing came easy and everything had to be earned. From growing and harvesting food to preserving it for the winter, every task required hard work, skill, and determination.

📅 September 26 | 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
📍 Cordell Hull Birthplace State Historic Park
💰 FREE ADMISSION!

🌦️ This event will take place rain or shine, so please come prepared for the weather.

Come experience the harvest, learn some traditional skills, and discover what it took to prepare a Tennessee farm for winter in the 1870s!

08/31/2026

🦇Thank you to all our visitors who explored Bunkum Cave this year!

🦇Bunkum Cave will be closed beginning tomorrow September 1st, 2026, and will reopen May 1st, 2027.

🦇Bunkum Cave is closed during the winter to leave our threatened bats undisturbed during their mating and hibernation period. In 2010, the fungal disease known as White Nose Syndrome (WNS) was found in Tennessee’s cave-dwelling bats. WNS can decimate an entire bat colony especially those who spend the winters in caves and it can be transmitted bat to bat, cave to bat, and cave to cave from folks who carry the fungus on gear and clothes inadvertently.

🦇Bats play an essential role in pest control, pollinating plants, and dispersing seeds. Recent studies estimate that bats eat enough pests to save more than $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the United States corn industry alone. (US Fish & Wildlife Service) Read more here: https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals

https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/wildlife-diversity-programs/white-nose-syndrome-monitoring-in-bats.html

08/30/2026

We had a wonderful time at our Native Seed Collection Workshop yesterday!

Thank you to everyone who came out to learn about ethical seed collecting and the importance of planting native species. Supporting Tennessee’s native plants is a rewarding way to help our pollinators and wildlife thrive.

08/24/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our guided caving tours this season! Bunkum Cave will close soon (August 31, 2026 – May 1, 2027), and we want to share why this seasonal closure is important.

Several species of bats hibernate in Bunkum Cave, and they rely on stable, undisturbed conditions to survive the winter. Even a small disturbance can wake them and force them to burn through the fat reserves that they need to make it to spring, and that one wake up can have fatal consequences. Closing the cave protects its sensitive ecosystem, where changes in temperature, moisture, or even light foot traffic can affect salamanders, insects, and fragile formations.

This closure is also an important part of slowing the spread of White‑Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease that has severely reduced bat populations across North America. Human movement between caves can unintentionally carry spores, so limiting winter access is one of the most effective tools we have to protect Tennessee’s bats.

To learn more, visit https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals?fbclid=IwY2xjawT4KIxwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMXlPdTA5RkdrMG03bGZ5M0RzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe4mU5bQqa5zS7bcgDMb7woImgm7PBSeBEIzpg-cR6oak9r_HZ-hDAcgCv4ik_aem_710wz2PMFneXAzKzzCxOtA

Thank you for helping us protect this habitat. We look forward to welcoming you back when the cave reopens in May!

08/21/2026

B: Bag your pet’s waste
A: Always leash your pet
R: Respect wildlife
K: Know where you can go

We’re excited to introduce Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park’s newest BARK Ranger!

Congratulations to Sylvie!!!

Want to join in on the fun? Keep an eye out on our website for our next BARK Ranger hike or stop by the park museum to take the pledge!

08/13/2026

Check out our programs for this weekend! For more information or to register, call the park office at (931) 864-3247 or visit https://tnstateparks.com/parks/cordell-hull-birthplace

08/11/2026

This month’s Go Green With Us themes are bats and water quality, two of our favorite things here at Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park.

Both water quality and bats are an integral part of what makes Bunkum Cave so special and are important parts of its delicate ecosystem. Bunkum Cave is home to species such as the Tennessee cave salamander, which spends its life in the larval stage and relies on clean, healthy water to survive. Tricolored bats skim low over water to catch insects and depend on clean streams, such as Cove Creek, which runs through Bunkum Cave.

Join us for one of our bat or water quality themed programs this month and learn more about the connections between clean water and Bunkum Cave. Programs and registration can be found here: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/cordell-hull-birthplace

Address

1300 Cordell Hull Memorial Drive
Byrdstown, TN
38549

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm
Saturday	9am - 4:30pm
Sunday	9am - 4:30pm

Website

https://tnstateparks.com/parks/cordell-hull-birthplace

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