Cordell Hull Birthplace

The Cordell Hull Birthplace is a small modest single pen log cabin, with a separate outdoor kitchen at its rear, both constructed of yellow poplar logs. No exact date of construction for the cabin is known, but historians suggest that it was built sometime before Cordell Hull's birth in 1871. The cabin is located in the rural area of Pickett County in northern Middle Tennessee, near the Tennessee-Kentucky state line. Hull served as United States Secretary of State from 1933-1944 and still holds the record for the longest term in that office in United States history. In 1945, Hull won the Nobel Peace Prize for his establishment of the United Nations. Hull's story was very much one of "rags to riches." By the turn of the century, Hull's parents moved to a much larger Victorian/Gable Front and Wing style home in Carthage, Tennessee. The family's home in Pickett County was left to fall into a state of disrepair. In 1952 a group of concerned citizens successfully petitioned the State of Tennessee to purchase and restore the cabin. The structure  actually had to be razed and rebuilt on its original foundation in order to properly stabilize the original logs. During the 1970s and 1980s, operation of the historic cabin bounced between Standing Stone and Pickett State Parks. Finally in 1986, Tennessee Tech University intervened and listed the cabin in their most endangered places list. This report led to the rebuilding of the cabin once again in 1996. This rebuild was again carried out using the original logs and foundation, but this time being more sensitive to establishing historical accuracy. By 1997 the Tennessee State Legislature approved funding for a fully staffed park, leading to the creation of the Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park. Even though the cabin has been rebuilt on two separate occasions, its 1972 listing in the National Register of Historic Places has been unaffected. The Cordell Hull Birthplace is listed in the National Register under Criterion A and C for its historical and architectural significance.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.