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Pine Mountain State Park
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View from Dowdell's Knob.
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| Nearest city: | Pine Mountain, Georgia |
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| Built: | 1934 |
| Architectural style: | Bungalow/Craftsman, Other |
| Governing body: | State |
| NRHP Reference#: | 97001273[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | September 25, 1997 |
| Designated NHLD: | September 25, 1997[2] |
F.D. Roosevelt State Park is an 9,049 acre (35.91 km²) Georgia state park located near Pine Mountain and Warm Springs. The park is named for former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who sought a treatment for his paralytic illness in nearby Warm Springs at Little White House Historic Site. The western portion of the park, formerly named Pine Mountain State Park, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1997. F.D. Roosevelt State Park is Georgia's largest state park.[3]
Several structures in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Great Depression, including a stone swimming pool and Roosevelt's favorite picnic spot at Dowdell's Knob, overlooking the valley below. President Roosevelt would take polio patients suffering from depression along on picnics at Dowdell's Knob.[4]
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The region containing the modern-day park was inhabited by the Creek Nation until ceded under the Treaties of 1825 and 1826, which granted the territories between the Flint and Chatahoochee rivers to the State of Georgia. An influx of settlers established the town of Kings Gap, named after King's Trading Post located near the modern-day Liberty Bell Pool. The town eventually vanished by the 20th century.[5]
In 1924 Franklin Delano Roosevelt first visited the warm springs located near the towns of Warm Springs and Bullochville. He came to the springs seeking relief from the symptoms of his paralytic illness which he had contracted some years earlier.[5] In 1927 Roosevelt and others established the Warm Springs Foundation, later known as the Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, which established therapeutic programs utilizing the area's mineral springs. Since then the Institute has developed into a complex of facilities helping those with disabilities.
Shortly afterwards Roosevelt built a residence nearby which would come to be known as the Little White House. After his election to the presidency of the United States, he advocated the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps, known as the CCC. It was this organization which, in 1935, established a camp near the modern-day Park entrance on Highway 354. From this camp the young men of the CCC constructed much of the present state park, including the Liberty Bell Pool, the Roosevelt Lodge, several cabins, the 15-acre (61,000 m2) Lake Delano and its companion, the 25-acre (100,000 m2) Lake Franklin.[5]
F.D. Roosevelt State Park is Georgia's largest state park.[3] The park located on Pine Mountain Ridge, Georgia's southernmost mountains. The Pine Mountain Ridge is composed of quartzite rock formations.[6]
Dowdell's Knob is the highest point in F. D. Roosevelt State Park, at 1,395 feet. The knob was named for two pioneer Harris County settlers: Lewis & James Dowdell.[7][8]
Because of the park's size, the park contains the 23 mile (37.01 km) long Pine Mountain Trail, a scenic nature path that winds through both hardwood and pine forests, featuring hickory and several species of oak; forest undergrowth includes buckeye, pawpaw, azalea, blueberry and huckleberry.[3][6] The trail has thirteen primative backcountry campsites for backpackers.[6] The Pine Mountain Trail is wholly maintained by the volunteers of the Pine Mountain Trail Association. In addition, the park contains two stocked fishing lakes and a historic trading post.
On April 12, 2007, the 62nd anniversary of Roosevelt's death, a 1,200 pound bronze statue was unveiled at Dowdell's Knob. The statue depicts Roosevelt sitting on his removable car seat and wearing his leg braces. The statue, commissioned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, was created by Atlanta sculptor Martin Dawe.[9]
During the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak, an EF2 tornado caused severe damage to the park, especially in the campgrounds. It was estimated that 30% of the structures in the campground were destroyed.[10]
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