Radnor Lake. The 85-acre lake for which the site is named was impounded in 1914 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company to furnish water for steam engines and livestock at nearby Radnor Yards.  It was intended that the site would provide a private hunting and fishing preserve for L & N officials and their guests.   Soon after construction of the lake, many birds discovered it and began to feed and rest there during their annual migration.  In 1923, the executive vice-president of L & N stopped all hunting and declared the area a wildlife sanctuary at the request of the Tennessee Ornithological Society.  In 1962, the area was purchased by a construction firm and plans were made to subdivide the property for a housing development.   Shortly thereafter, public sentiment arose to preserve the area as a park.  In 1973, the Tennessee Department of  Environment and Conservation, with the financial assistance of the Federal Government and thousands of concerned citizens, purchased the Radnor site as the first official state natural area. Hiking, nature study and observation, photography, and research are the major activities presently enjoyed by Radnor's many annual visitors.  It is a place that provides scenic, biological, geological, and passive recreational opportunities not found in other metropolitan areas.