James Edgar Evins (1883–1954), the park's namesake, was a Smithville businessman, mayor, and state senator who played a vital role in the development of the Center Hill Dam and Reservoir in the 1940s.

The Evins family began pushing for the establishment of a state park along the DeKalb County portion of Center Hill Lake as early as the 1950s.

Edgar Evins State Park covers the northeast shore of the reservoir immediately upstream from Center Hill Dam.

The park is situated amidst rolling hills ("knobs") that comprise part of the geological boundary between the Eastern Highland Rim and the Central Basin.

[6] Over the years, several families settled in the hollows and valleys of what is now Edgar Evins State Park and adjacent lands that would eventually be inundated by Center Hill Lake.

In the 1930s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated several flood control projects in the Cumberland River watershed, including Center Hill Dam, the construction of which was authorized in 1938.

Park facilities include a privately leased 300-slip marina and full service dock, a 34-cabin lodging complex (with outdoor swimming pool open May to September), a campground with 60 wooden and concrete platforms (with water and electric) and 9 primitive campsites, a park office and visitor center, and two boat ramps with access to Center Hill Lake.