1474, 1592, 2907 UNITED STATES (Tennessee / North Carolina) - Great Smoky Mountains National Park (UNESCO WHS)

1474 Map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Posted on 01.03.2015, 18.05.2015, 18.12.2016
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a division of the Appalachian Mountains. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs through the centerline of the park. Before the arrival of European, the region was part of the homeland of the Cherokees. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, beginning the forced removal of all Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River. Many of the Cherokee left, but some hid out in the area that is now the park. Some of their descendants now live in the Qualla Boundary.

1592 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The park is a major refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna that survived the Pleistocene glaciations. The park includes the largest remnant of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era left in the world, and provides an indication of the appearance of late Pleistocene flora. It is large enough to allow the continuing biological evolution of this system, and its biological diversity exceeds that of other temperate-zone protected areas. The park is of exceptional beauty with virgin forest including the largest block of virgin red spruce remaining on earth.

2907 John Oliver Cabin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

It is home to more than 3,500 plant species, including almost as many trees (130 natural species) as in all of Europe. Many endangered animal species are also found there, including what is probably the greatest variety of salamanders in the world. The park contains evidence of four pre-Columbian Indian cultures: Mississippian, Woodland, Archaic and palaeo-Indian. The early Woodland culture period is of special archaeological importance because it shows the first evidence of organized horticulture in North America. More than 150 archaeological sites have been identified within the park.

2002 UNITED STATES (Tennessee) - Shiloh National Military Park

Shiloh National Military Park preserves the American Civil War Shiloh and Corinth battlefields. Its main section is in the town of Shiloh, about 14km south of  Savannah, Tennessee, with an additional area located in the city of Corinth, Mississippi, 37km southwest of Shiloh. The Log Cabin from the postcard is the only house on the reservation that was there at the time of the battle. Bullet holes are still noticeable in the logs.

1670, 1680 UNITED STATES (Tennessee) - Tennessee map and flag

1670 The map and the flag of State of Tennessee (1)

Posted on 16.06.2015, 19.06.2015
Located in the Southeastern United States and bordered by Kentucky and Virginia to the north, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, and Arkansas and Missouri to the west, Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later part of the Southwest Territory. The  Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern part of the state, and the Mississippi River forms the state's western border. It is geographically, culturally, economically, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions: East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The highest point in the state is  Clingmans Dome at 2,025m, and the lowest is the Mississippi River at the Mississippi state line (59m).

1680 The map and the flag of State of Tennessee (2)

The area now known as Tennessee was inhabited by Paleo-Indians nearly 12,000 years ago. The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown. The first recorded European excursions were three expeditions led by Hernando de Soto (1540), Tristan de Luna (1559), and Juan Pardo (1567). Pardo recorded the name "Tanasqui" from a local Indian village, which evolved to the state's current name. At that time, Tennessee was inhabited by tribes of  Muscogee and Yuchi people, and later the Cherokee moved south from the area now called Virginia. As colonists spread into the area, the Indian populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west.

1554 UNITED STATES (Tennessee) - Graceland

Graceland is a mansion in Memphis (located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community, at about 15 km from Downtown and less than 6km north of the Mississippi border), that was home to Elvis Presley, "the King". It was opened to the public in 1982, and meantime has become one of the most-visited private homes in America, with over 600,000 visitors a year, behind the White House. Elvis Presley died at the estate on August 16, 1977. Presley, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and his grandmother, are buried there in what is called the Meditation Garden. A memorial gravestone for Presley's stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon, is also at the site.