Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park fires up tasty apple butter

Food culture, music highlighted all-day event 

BYRDSTOWN – More than 100 people participated in Apple Butter Day on Aug. 31 at Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park, getting a taste of history to go with delicious food.

Apple Butter Day celebrated the apple and its role in traditional food culture in the area. Apple butter was made the traditional way, outdoors in a big copper kettle over an open fire. The day also featured coffee roasting, music and other food, including beans, bacon and biscuits.

The all-day activities at the Hull homestead at the park also included a canning workshop taught by UT Extension Agent Amanda Woody, and guest speakers. Fred and Jill Sauceman spoke about sorghum and dried apple stack cake, and Dr. Michael Birdwell from Tennessee Technological University spoke about fermenting apples. The festivities served as yet another way to convey the rich history of the region and the times of Cordell Hull.

Cordell Hull Birthplace and Museum is a 55-acre historic park on the Highland Rim near Byrdstown. The site includes a representation of Hull’s log cabin birthplace and period gardens. The Cordell Hull Museum displays a variety of photographs, artifacts and an activities center. The park also includes the Hull Library and Archives that houses the entire Cordell Hull collection, consisting of more than 1,500 books and hundreds of original photographs, documents and other items. The park also features the Bunkum Cave Loop Trail that leads to an overlook and the entrance to Bunkum Cave where Hull’s father made moonshine in the 19th century.

Hull was a U.S. representative and U.S. senator and served President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Secretary of State, most notably receiving the Nobel Prize for his role in establishing the United Nations.

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