Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park

Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park Sergeant Alvin C. York State Historic Park pays tribute to one of the most decorated soldiers of WWI
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York State Historic Park is located nine miles north of Jamestown in Pall Mall, Tennessee and pays tribute to one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I.

“Wedding Bells for Sergt. York” “Mountain Hero Takes Miss Gracie Williams as His Bride” Sgt. Alvin C. York and Miss Grac...
06/07/2026

“Wedding Bells for Sergt. York”

“Mountain Hero Takes Miss Gracie Williams as His Bride”

Sgt. Alvin C. York and Miss Gracie Williams were married on this day 107 years ago. Capt. Robert Fields published an article in the Nashville Banner on this day, but it was not about the wedding ceremony. Since his last article on June 4th, many details about the wedding had been published. Capt. Fields hoped to clarify these announcements by writing an article before the ceremony. Capt. Fields wrote that Governor Alfred Roberts was given the honor of officiating the wedding in Pall Mall, and he arrived with his entourage of staff the day before to prepare. Although Pastor Pile wanted to officiate the wedding, he understood the importance of the Governor being there in his place. The dinner after the ceremony was expected to be grand, with Capt. Fields writing, “The day is being celebrated by a monster picnic spread under the trees near York’s cabin home. For miles and miles up in the hills, some even from Kentucky, the people, old and young, have come, bringing their baskets well filled with chicken and hams and pies and cakes of a multitude of forms. The picnic is being laid as a wedding feast for York and his bride, who will be dined upon the best the Cumberland mountains afford and wined upon the crystal cold water of the gushing York spring.”

According to Capt. Fields, many fancy wedding gifts were brought from Nashville for the newlywed couple. Capt. Fields listed items including a wedding ring, a suffrage brooch, a wristwatch, a bouquet of flowers, and a solid silver bowl with Gracie’s initials. Since the wedding was being held outside, “The young couple will walk down a lane of wedding guests under the tress. There will be no wedding march save the wind in the pines.” After the wedding, there was speculation about where the couple would spend their honeymoon. Capt. Fields confirmed the couple was traveling on June 9th to Nashville to participate in events being held there. There was a potential plan to go to Salt Lake City, Utah for the International Rotary Club convention, but the couple was still undecided.

There was a lot of excitement in the leadup to Alvin and Gracie’s wedding. The Nashville Banner reported frequently about the preparations being made. Despite Capt. Fields’ article not being published until the 7th, several pictures of Alvin and his family he made were published on June 6th. Events at the Ryman Auditorium and the State Capitol were being planning for Alvin and Gracie’s visit on June 9th. Although not published on the wedding day, Capt. Fields would witness and write about the wedding ceremony for readers of the Nashville Banner. Come back tomorrow to read in detail about the ceremony that took place in the Wolf River Valley!

Celebrate the 4th of July at the home and farm of celebrated war hero, Sgt. Alvin C. York! On the country's 250th birthd...
06/05/2026

Celebrate the 4th of July at the home and farm of celebrated war hero, Sgt. Alvin C. York! On the country's 250th birthday, experience special tours and programs offered at the park throughout the day. Create your own history-based-adventure by purchasing tickets for any special tours you and your family would like to attend, and plan to spend the day with us in beautiful Pall Mall, TN by the banks of the Wolf River!

Follow this link to register and for more information: https://tnstateparks.com/events/america-250-sgt-york-jubilee

“Kills 19 Bears, Needs One More” “Giles Watson of Fentress County Holds Championship of Tennessee” Capt. Fields changes ...
06/04/2026

“Kills 19 Bears, Needs One More”

“Giles Watson of Fentress County Holds Championship of Tennessee”

Capt. Fields changes topics when he writes about Mr. Giles Watson of Fentress County for his article on June 4th. According to Capt. Fields, Mr. Watson was “another great hunter and marksman of whom the people of his county are proud.” Mr. Watson was considered a champion bear killer in Tennessee, and Capt. Fields got to meet him during the Decoration Day service at the Upchurch cemetery. At the service, Mr. Watson was wearing a straight jumper and carrying a cane that he had carved himself. Capt. Fields said that Mr. Watson was known for making and wearing moccasins and was sometimes called “Brother Moccasin” by his peers. Mr. Watson was a notable character in the Pall Mall community, and he was proud that he never ate a meal without wild meat on his table.

Mr. Watson was in the Union Army during the Civil War, serving in the Kentucky Thirtieth Infantry. He was seventy-five years old when Capt. Fields met him at the Decoration Day service. Capt. Fields had this to say about him: “Innumerable wild turkeys, fur-bearing animals, and deer have fallen before the unerring aim of the old hunter. All his life has been spent as a hunter in the mountain regions. Today he stands as erect and as clear of eye as any man of 40. He is a forceful speaker and you know that the things he tells of other days are true.” Mr. Watson was proud of the nineteen bears he had killed in his life, but he wanted to kill at least one more before he died. As Capt. Fields said, “The Wolf River country has furnished some famous marksmen, but few can outrival the fame of Giles Watson and Alvin York.”

Although a smaller article than the others written by Capt. Fields, plenty of information about Sgt. York is in this newspaper. Capt. Fields reported that Jamestown and Fentress County were planning a large event on June 7th. “York Day” was being proposed as the largest event in the history of Fentress County. Prominent speakers from across the state were to attend, and thousands of people were expected to participate. This plan was canceled on June 5th when Alvin and Gracie announced their wedding was going to be held on the same day. The Nashville Vols minor league baseball team announced that Sgt. York would throw out the first pitch with Governor Alfred Roberts on June 10th. The York Farm fund was doing well, with the Nashville Rotary Club optimistic they would be able to buy a farm for Alvin. Capt. Fields would pause his writing for a few days in anticipation for Alvin and Gracie’s wedding. Come back on Sunday to read about the preparations that were taking place for the wedding!

06/04/2026

Come join us for the first of the Summer Lecture Series presented by Sgt Alvin C. York State Historic Park this weekend, Friday and Saturday, June 5th and 6th at 1pm CST at the park visitor center.

At the height of the 30th Division's assault on the Hindenburg Line in October, 1918, they discovered a critical problem...
06/03/2026

At the height of the 30th Division's assault on the Hindenburg Line in October, 1918, they discovered a critical problem: the Germans were listening in to their telephone lines. Captain John Stanley of the US Army Signal Corps came up with a creative solution. They would recruit Cherokee and Choctaw soldiers, speaking in their native tongue, to communicate and keep the Americans' secrets secret. Join us this Saturday, June 6th at 1pm CST at the Park Visitor Center to learn more about this unique moment in the Great War, hosted by historian Pat Gang.

139,000 of Tennessee's sons answered their country's call in World War I. Seven of them earned our nation's highest awar...
06/03/2026

139,000 of Tennessee's sons answered their country's call in World War I. Seven of them earned our nation's highest award for gallantry, The Medal of Honor. Since the Medal was introduced, only 3,519 individuals have earned it. Join us this Friday at 1pm CST for our Summer Lecture Series in the Park Visitor Center, hosted by historian Pat Gang, to learn the stories of these seven Tennessee men, and honor their courage and sacrifice.

“York Preaches at Open Air Meeting” “Third Elder of Mountain Church, Home From the Wars, Takes Sweetheart to Decoration ...
06/02/2026

“York Preaches at Open Air Meeting”

“Third Elder of Mountain Church, Home From the Wars, Takes Sweetheart to Decoration Day Services”

Captain Robert Fields would return to the Wolf River Valley to witness Sgt. York’s return to Pall Mall. Alvin was dropped off at the train depot in Crossville, TN and was driven to the valley on May 31st. June 1st fell on a Sunday in 1919, and the community hosted their annual Decoration Day services throughout the day. According to Capt. Fields, “At the Upchurch burying ground, on a hillside in Wolf valley, York’s people assembled in the morning, over five hundred of them, the girls in their Sunday best and the women with their little ones in their arms.” Families started the service by laying flowers on the graves of civilians and soldiers who died during the Civil War, both Union and Confederate. Then, Pastor Rosier Pile begin speaking to the gathered crowd.

Sgt. York and Miss Gracie were both in attendance for the service, but they kept to themselves to remain out of sight. Eventually, Alvin would make his way to the front of the crowd to speak. “Then, Pastor Pile made a talk upon the decoration of the graves. After him the third elder was presented to preach to them. The crowd gathered closer. Wearing his medals, the six-foot sergeant stood beneath the tree and told them how glad he was to be home.” Capt. Fields wrote that Alvin explained how being in the trenches showed him the importance of repentance and being ready for life after death. “It is a sad thing to hear men to your right and left asking God between their groans to have mercy on them. It is all right to ask the Lord to have mercy, but don’t put it off until the end is near.” Alvin concluded his preaching by saying that while everyone was spreading flowers for the dead, they needed to give flowers to those still living to help them live a Christian life.

Capt. Fields describes the large picnic that was held in the cemetery after the service. Everyone ate a “good stiff country dinner” while reminiscing about their ancestors that were buried in the cemetery. Alvin and Gracie disappeared during the dinner, scurrying off into the woods to have a moment alone. They would reappear, and Capt. Fields offered them a ride around the valley in his Model-T. (He drove to Pall Mall this time instead of traveling on horseback.) At the end of the article, Capt. Fields explains how Alvin’s return home was much different than his previous experience. “No greater contrast can be conceived than the reception given York yesterday and the one he received when here on furlough just before leaving for France. Then, he could not find conveyance from here to his home in Pall Mall, and walked home to see his mother. Yesterday it was for York to decide who should serve him.” This was the first article Capt. Fields wrote in the leadup to Alvin and Gracie’s wedding on June 7th. Come back on Thursday to learn about a Pall Mall resident Capt. Fields met that was “larger than life” within Alvin’s community!

If you missed this past April’s Great War Expo and wanted to catch one of our panel discussions, you're in luck. All fou...
06/02/2026

If you missed this past April’s Great War Expo and wanted to catch one of our panel discussions, you're in luck. All four of our panel discussions are now available on the Pall Mall Doughboys Podcast, and the livestreams can also be found right here on Facebook.

The Pall Mall Doughboys Podcast can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or by following the link below.

In this month’s episode of The Pall Mall Doughboys Podcast, we sat down with some of the fine folks at Doughboy MIA, a nonprofit committed to commemorating and accounting for the Americans still listed as Missing in Action from the Great War.

Join us as we talk about the organization, some MIA stories, and the ongoing effort to ensure these stories are told.

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b1f3ad0c-c16b-4e3e-a422-d3c9cc182fad

Due to the weather, we have decided to cancel our Tales of the Wolf River: Guided Canoe Float scheduled this weekend May...
05/30/2026

Due to the weather, we have decided to cancel our Tales of the Wolf River: Guided Canoe Float scheduled this weekend May 30 and May 31. We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope that you all can join us at one of our other scheduled floats this summer!

Address

2609 North York Highway
Pall Mall, TN
38577

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm
Saturday 8am - 4:30pm
Sunday 8am - 4:30pm

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