F.D. Roosevelt State Park is a 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 the Little White House. The park is located along the Pine Mountain Range. 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.

Several structures in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) 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 with depression along on picnics at Dowdell's Knob.

History

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 Chattahoochee 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.

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 the paralytic illness he had contracted three years earlier. It is geologically a feature of the Piedmont Plateau, not the Appalachian Mountains farther north.

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.

The park contains the 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.

During the 2011 Super Outbreak, an EF2 tornado caused severe damage to the park, especially in the campgrounds. It was estimated that 30% of the structures in one of the park's group campground areas were destroyed.

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Image:FDRstatue FDRstatepark.jpg|F.D. Roosevelt's statue at Dowdell's Knob.

Image:17 03 131 FDR park.jpg|Visitor Center

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Facilities

  • 105 Tent/Trailer/RV Campsites
  • 21 Backcountry Campsites as of 2024
  • 22 Cottages
  • 2 Picnic Shelters
  • 2 Group Camps
  • 1 Group Shelter
  • 1 Pioneer Campground
  • 1 Public Swimming Pool

Annual events

  • Spring Backpacking Trip (March) (obsolete)

See also

  • Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness
  • List of National Historic Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state)
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Harris County, Georgia

References

  • Georgia State Parks
  • Pine Mountain Trail Association