David Crockett State Park

David Crockett was a pioneer, soldier, politician, and industrialist. He was born near the little town of Limestone in northeast Tennessee in 1786. In 1817, he moved to Lawrence County and served as a justice of the peace, a colonel of the militia, and a state representative. Along the banks of Shoal Creek, he established a diversified industry consisting of a powdermill, a gristmill, and a distillery in what is now his namesake park. All three operations were washed away in a flood in September 1821. Financial difficulties from this loss caused Crockett to move to West Tennessee, where he was elected to Congress. While in Washington, he fought for his people’s right to keep land they had settled on in the new frontier of West Tennessee. Crockett died at the Alamo Mission in March of 1836 while aiding the Texans fighting for independence from Mexico. The 1,319-acre park has a museum staffed during the summer months, with exhibits depicting Crockett’s life here and a water-powered grist mill.