Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park | |
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Type | Tennessee State Park |
Location | Benton County, Tennessee |
Coordinates | 36°05′19″N 87°58′27″W / 36.08868°N 87.97416°W |
Area | 2,587 acres (10.47 km2) |
Operated by | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |
Website | Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park |
Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park is a state park in Benton County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park is situated on the western shore of the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River, just north of the community of Eva. Established in 1929, the park consists of 2,587 acres (10.47 km2) managed by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The park is named after Confederate General and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821–1877), who conducted operations in the area during the U.S. Civil War. The park encompasses part of Forrest's operational area during the 1864 Battle of Johnsonville, in which Forrest attacked and destroyed a Union supply depot and transfer station on the opposite bank of the river.
Along with the battle site, features in the park include Pilot Knob, which at 656 feet (200 m) is one of the highest points in West Tennessee, and the Tennessee River Folklife Center, which interprets life in the lower Tennessee Valley in the 19th and 20th centuries.