Montgomery Bell State Park
| Montgomery Bell State Park | |
| Tennessee State Park | |
 Replica of the log house where the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded in 1810
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| named for: Montgomery Bell | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Tennessee |
| County | Dickson County |
| Elevation | 758 ft (231 m) |
| Coordinates | 36°05′24″N 87°16′24″W / 36.09000°N 87.27333°WCoordinates: 36°05′24″N 87°16′24″W / 36.09000°N 87.27333°W |
| Area | 3,782 acres (1,531 ha) |
| Established | 1943 |
| Management | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |
| Visitation | avg. 1,000,000 a year |
 Location of Montgomery Bell State Park in Tennessee
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| Website: Official website | |
Montgomery Bell State Park is a Tennessee state park in Burns, Tennessee, United States. The park covers 3,782 acres (1,531 ha) and its official elevation is 758 feet (231 m). However due to the dissected wooded terrain typical of the Nashville Basin, actual elevations range from 580 feet (180 m) to 860 feet (260 m). The park is open for year-round recreation including boating, hiking, camping, fishing and golf. Montgomery Bell State Park was built during the Great Depression by members of the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps as Montgomery Bell Recreational Demonstration Area. The park named for iron industrialist Montgomery Bell is known as the birthplace of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Montgomery Bell State Park is located in what was once the center of the iron industry in Middle Tennessee. The park's namesake, Montgomery Bell, arrived in Tennessee from his birthplace in Pennsylvania by way of Kentucky. Bell purchased an iron works at Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee in 1804. He was soon able to expand his operation throughout the area forming one of the largest iron making operations in the state and earning him the name "Tennessee's First Iron Master". Bell owned numerous slaves. Some records indicate that he owned as many as 400 slaves at different points in time. He used his slave labor to expand his business during the War of 1812 when his furnaces produce cannonballs for the armies of General Andrew Jackson. The furnaces also produced many types of farm tools that were used throughout the Southeastern United States. Montgomery Bell became quite wealthy and was said to be the richest man in the South before the American Civil War. Prior to his death Bell began emancipating his slaves through the American Colonization Society. He sent 88 slaves on two ships to Liberia and intended to free all of them. Ultimately not all of his slaves were granted their freedom before he died in 1855.
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