PopularImages / Depositphotos.com
It is hard to think about Tennessee without thinking about Dolly Parton. She was a country music superstar, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, but her impact goes far beyond music.
Dolly grew up in Sevier County, Tennessee, in a large family with very little money. Those Appalachian roots became a huge part of her music and her identity. Songs like “Coat of Many Colors” turned stories from her childhood into music that people around the world could connect with. She eventually became one of country music’s most successful and recognizable artists, writing thousands of songs and earning countless awards along the way.
But Dolly didn’t forget where she came from.
In 1986, she partnered with the Herschend family to transform an existing theme park in Pigeon Forge into Dollywood. The park grew into one of Tennessee’s biggest tourist attractions and helped bring even more attention and visitors to the Smoky Mountain region. Today, Dollywood covers 150 acres and remains a major part of the area’s tourism industry.
Her impact goes far beyond tourism. In 1988, she created the Dollywood Foundation to help children in her hometown succeed in school. In 1995, she started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to young children. The program has now sent hundreds of millions of books to children around the world.
Dolly also gave millions of dollars to disaster relief, healthcare and education. After the 2016 wildfires devastated parts of Sevier County, her foundation helped provide more than $12 million to families who lost their homes.
Dolly Parton didn’t just become famous and leave Tennessee behind. She used her success to invest in the place that raised her. Her music made her a country legend, but her work in Tennessee made her part of the community’s history.
Her legacy is much bigger than a theme park or a country song. It is in the books children receive, the families she helped and the East Tennessee community she never stopped calling home.
