Lakeshore Park is located on Lyons View Pike at Northshore Drive in Knoxville, Tennessee. The park is approximately one and one-half miles south of Interstate 40 at the Papermill Road exit. Lyons View Gardens will be developed on a thirty acre tract near the park entrance from Lyons View Pike. The site of the gardens begins at the park entrance and runs east and south to the hilltop overlooking the Tennessee River and Mount LeConte, the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains. The first phase of the gardens covers the six acre hilltop. Site History The Lakeshore property consists of approximately 185 acres, which was originally part of a larger farm acquired by Captain William Lyon in 1809. Captain Lyon constructed a log cabin, later expanded to a substantial two story log residence, near the current entrance to Lakeshore Park from Northshore Drive. The home was located between Fourth Creek and the Tennessee River, and Captain Lyon constructed a mill on Fourth Creek near the current site of the intersection of Northshore Drive and Lyons View Drive. Captain Lyon was a colorful character and a friend and promoter of Andrew Jackson. While President of the United States, Jackson frequently stayed at the Lyon home when traveling between Nashville and Washington D.C. The highest hill on the Lyon property held a commanding view of the Tennessee River and the Great Smoky Mountains beyond. The hilltop became known as "Lyons View" and, with the improvement of the roads, became a common destination for family outings. The road from Kingston Pike to the site became known as Lyons View Pike. On March 31, 1874, the daughters of William Lyon, Mary Lyon Craig and Louise Lyon Barnes, conveyed approximately 300 acres of the Lyon property to the State of Tennessee for the establishment of a "Hospital for the Insane". Shortly thereafter, the state began construction and operation of the mental health institute that continues to occupy a portion of the site today. In response to the need for additional public recreational space, the State of Tennessee, with the support of Governor Ned McWhorter and Lakeshore Mental Health Institute, granted the City of Knoxville the right to use a portion of the property for a public park, which opened in 1994. The State of Tennessee and the City of Knoxville continued discussions concerning the highest and best use of the property, given changes in the delivery of mental health services. In 1999, the State Building Commission approved a master plan for the Lakeshore property that includes a thirty acre site for a future mental health facility, a twenty-five acre site for expansion of the Veterans Cemetery and a thirty acre site for public gardens, with the remainder of the site to be used as a public park. The State agreed to deed the park land to the City as it became available, and a substantial portion of the site was deeded to the City of Knoxville in 1999.