MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee officials say donors have added 144 acres to a state park in Memphis known for being the first one east of the Mississippi River to be open to African Americans.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation says the expansion of T.O. Fuller State Park is the result of a donation by philanthropists Hugh and Margaret Jones Fraser and the Carrington Jones family of Memphis.
Nonprofits groups The Land Trust for Tennessee and Wolf River Conservancy helped with the acquisition.
The park opened in 1938. It also was only the second state park nationwide that was open to African Americans.
The park in 1942 was named after Thomas O. Fuller, a prominent African American educator, pastor, politician, civic leader and author.
The park includes eight miles of trails, four shelters, 35 picnic tables, basketball courts, an interpretive center and diverse landscapes with more than 200 plant species.