20,000 Acres of Water

Countless Lake County, Tiptonville, and Reelfoot Lake postcards have been published, many of which feature the cypress trees that the area is known for. This one, postmarked 1949, includes a description on the back:

“Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee, a state park of 20,000 acres of water and uncounted miles of shore line, was once the hunting ground of the Chicasaw Indians. The lake was formed by a series of earthquakes in 1811 and 1812. Known as the “Fisherman’s Paradise”, it is equally attractive for hunting, boating, and swimming. It is patronized by sportsmen and vacationists from every state of the Union.”

As was the norm with these old Curt Teich postcards, the image began as a black-and-white photo that was then “colorized”. This one got a treatment of particularly brilliant greens!

Fisherman’s Paradise

This postcard, which was postmarked in 1949, is a beauty! The back of the card has been stamped, Morris Camp, Reelfoot Lake, Tiptonville Tenn. It’s funny, but in all the trips our family made to Tiptonville over the years, I don’t believe we ever went fishing. It’s the fisherman’s paradise, for goodness sake! You know, my eight year old son loves to fish…maybe this could be the catalyst for a return trip to Tiptonville. Given that I haven’t seen the town in over twenty-five years, that sounds like a pretty fair idea.

Edgewater Beach Resort

Here it is, Edgewater Beach, where we always stayed on our vacations to Tiptonville, Tennessee, at least until the Airpark Inn opened. This postcard probably dates from the late ’50s, and shows the beach much as it was during our stays. What isn’t shown here are the cabins, which faced the beach and are off to the right in this photograph. It’s probably been 40 years since our family stayed there, which could account for the nostalgia it invokes.
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Reelfoot Airpark Inn

Among my earliest recollections of Tiptonville, Tennessee is Edgewater Beach. We always stayed at one of the cabins there when on vacation, and got in some swimming when we weren’t at my grandmother’s farm. But that all changed with the opening of the Airpark Inn, ten miles north of Tiptonville. Located at Reelfoot Lake State Park, the 20-room Inn immediately became our new place to stay during our visits. Read the rest of this entry »

Have Fun at Reelfoot Lake

Remember the earlier post where I remarked that Tiptonville was a popular tourist destination? Well here’s why: Fun!  Unfortunately I don’t remember their being a miniature train, and wonder when it was put into operation. Judging from the cars visible on this postcard I’d guess that the photo was taken in the mid to late 1950s, just slightly before my time. As is often the case with postcards of this era, there’s a description on the back: Read the rest of this entry »