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Ijams Nature Center's History

See larger Martha Ijams poses with a stuffed passenger pigeon, the prized possession of her father, H.P. Ijams. H.P. Ijams bought a collection of mounted birds with the passenger pigeon among it in 1928. The family later gave the pigeon to the National Park Service.

Martha Ijams poses with a stuffed passenger pigeon, the prized possession of her father, H.P. Ijams. H.P. Ijams bought a collection of mounted birds with the passenger pigeon among it in 1928. The family later gave the pigeon to the National Park Service.

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  • This 1930s pen-and-ink map, filled with details and cartoon characters, was done by H.P. Ijams. Ijams was an artist who worked as an illustrator for the Knoxville News Sentinel from 1920 until his retirement in the 1950s. This map was one of the last that Ijams created to promote the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rather than a road map, this guide is an often humorous look at the park.
  • This 1930s pen-and-ink map of Knoxville and its surrounding area was done by H.P. Ijams. Ijams was an artist who worked as an illustrator for the Knoxville News Sentinel from 1920 until his retirement in the 1950s. This map was one of the last Ijams created to promote the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's more of a humorous guide to area sights and is part of the book 'Ijams Nature Center' by Ijams Executive Director Paul James.
  • This map of what was then the property of Ijams Nature Park was drawn in 1964. The park now has expanded and this fall will grow to 275 acres.
  • H.P. Ijams looks at a trio of young barred owls he raised at Ijams in 1940. While the birds are a noctural species, they can be seen and heard during the day at Ijams Nature Center, along the Discovery Trial and the pond where the Ijams children swan and canoed.
  • Martha Ijams poses with a stuffed passenger pigeon, the prized possession of her father, H.P. Ijams. H.P. Ijams bought a collection of mounted birds with the passenger pigeon among it in 1928. The family later gave the pigeon to the National Park Service.
  • This 1923 photograph was taken of the four Ijams daughters at thepond their father built them on the family property in South Knoxville. H.P. Ijams built the spring-fed pond for his children to swim in as a safer alternative to the Tennessee River nearby. The pond still exists today off Ijams' Discovery Trail. From left to right in the photo are Jo, Martha and Mary Ijams. Elizabeth Ijams is in the canoe.
  • The four Ijams girls spent most of their childhood outdoors. Here, young Martha Ijams poses with sparrow hawks, now better known as American kestrels. The birds had been raised by H.P. Ijams. The photo by Russell Harrison appeared in the New York Times in 1925.
  • Mary Ijams, one of the four Ijams girls, rings the bell outside the family house. Mary died in a 1932 car accident
  • This portrait of Alice Yoe was taken around the time she married H.P. Ijmas in 1905. Born in Jefferson County, Alice Yoe Ijams later became Knoxville's leading gardener. For years she supplied fresh flowers each Sunday to Chuch Street Methodist Church
  • This map of what was then the property of Ijams Nature Park was drawn in 1964. The park now has expanded and this fall will grow to 275 acres.
  • This 1960s photo shows the Ijams family homeplace, which started as a log cabin and was added to over the years by H.P. Ijams. The building was torn down in the late 1990s.
  • City of Knoxville Mayor Leonard Rogers talks about the early Ijams Nature Park will members of the Knoxville Garden Club. From left are Mrs. E.J. Frederick, Rogers, Mrs. Charles Lee and Mrs. Porter Taylor. The garden club was a key organization in turning the Ijams family homeplace into a public park in 1965.
  • This 1960s photo shows the Ijams family homeplace, which started as a log cabin and was added to over the years by H.P. Ijams. The building was torn down in the late 1990s.

Ijams Nature Center is celebrating its 100-year start as the property of H.P. and Alice Ijams. Executive Director Paul James has written a book about the center that includes a number of family and historic photos.

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