1779 - Cumberland Settlers - It was in the fall and winter of 1779 and
1780, that pioneers came to make a permanant home in the Cumberland
Settlement. Several stations or forts were established. The largest was
popularly known as the French Lick Fort but also called Fort
Nashborough. Other stations established in 1779-80 were Mansker's,
Asher's, Bledsoe's, Stone's River, Freeland's, Eaton's and Fort Union.
1780- Early Cemetery. Some early burials were on the Public Square where
it was said the earth was so shallow there was barely enough dirt to
cover the coffin. In 1801, an act prohibited burials on the public
square.
1780 - French Lick Station. - A plan of the fort built in 1780 and
labeled the "Nashville Fort", was drawn at a later date by pioneer
Andrew Castleman. The drawing shows the fort to be rectangular, 15 rods
long (about 247 feet) and half that in width. There was a spring at the
west end of the fort. There was a blockhouse at every corner and cabins
along each side.
1780 - Cumberland Compact - Articles of Agreement, or Compact of
Government, entered into by settlers on the Cumberland River, 1st May,
1780. The document contained signatures of more than 250 pioneers,
called for the election of twelve persons to act as judges to preside
over legal matters that might arise.
1781 - Battle of the Bluff. - Intersection of Broad and College (3rd
Ave.) streets-- "Battle of the Bluff, April 2, 1781. Capt. James Leiper,
Peter Gil, John Kissinger, Alex Buchanan, George Kennedy, J. Kennedy
and Zachariah White were killed and James Menefee, Gasper Mansker, Isaac
Lucas, Joseph Moonshaw and Edward Swanson and others were wounded,
being part of a force of 21 which in a sally from the fort attacked 200
Cherokee Indians, Lying in wait in Wilson's Branch." Our First Century -
A History of Nashville from Its Original Settlement, by Anson Nelson,
Esq.
1782 - Irish Station. - "About the year 1782, a party (perhaps some
twenty families) of Washington County emigrants settled "the Irish
Station" near the present Haysboro on the northern bank of the
Cumberland, some 7 or 8 miles above Nashville." - Madison Station, Guy
Alan Bockmon
1783 - First Road. - October term 1783 Davidson County Court, "Ordered
that the Road leading from Nashborough to Mansker's Station be laid off.
James Freeland be overseer as far as opposite to Mr. Bucchanan's Spring
and that Mr. James Shaw Oversee from Mansco's this way." -- County
Court Minute Book A, p. 3, Deed Book C, p. 213. [Note: Mr. Bucchanan's
spring was on the Spring Hill tract which he would deed over to Rev.
John B. Craighead in 1785. The deed mentions that the road to Manskers
Station crosses the property near the spring. Today this spring is near
where Briley Parkway passes under Gallatin Road.
1784 - 1806 - The town of Nashville was created in April of 1784 by an
act of the North Carolina legislature. In 1796 when Tennessee became a
state the Legislature passed an act officially naming the town
Nashville, Tennessee. In 1801, the town was placed under the government
of an Intendent and six Commissioners. Nashville was incorporated in
1806, and it was ordered that an election be held on the first day of
October to choose a mayor and six aldermen. Joseph Coleman was the first
mayor, and held the office for three years. -- Brief Annals of
Nashville, Anson Nelson
1784 - In 1784 the North Carolina Legislature ordered that 200 acres be
set aside for the town of Nashville, to be divided into one acre lots
and sold for four pounds each. The proceeds from the sale of the town
lots were to be used to build a courthouse and jail. Four acres were to
be permanently preserved for public buildings. Thomas Molloy was
appointed surveyor for the town.
1784 - The first jail was built on the public square as ordered by the
county court. In 1803 citizens petitioned for removal of the jail from
the square and by 1809, "the county jail was back of Boyd's Tavern on
Water Street." --History of Davidson County, W. W. Clayton,
1784 - The first officially sanctioned ferry on the Cumberland River at
Nashville was licensed to James Shaw on Jul 6, 1784 which crossed in the
vicinity of the Shelby Street Bridge. Another ferry operated by John
Nichol ran near the location of the Jefferson Street Bridge. By 1794 six
ferries had been licensed in Davidson County to serve the public on the
Cumberland. --
1785 - It was on July 4, 1785 that county court minutes first indicate
the court is meeting at the "Courthouse in Nashville." The building of
the first Courthouse was authorized by the Davidson County Court at the
October Term 1783. "... that the size of the Courthouse be eighteen feet
square in the body with a Leanto Shade of twelve feet on the one side
of the length of the House. And that the house be furnished with the
necessary benches, Barr, Table &c fit for the Reception of the
Court." -- Davidson County Court Minutes
1785 - Davidson Academy, the first public institution of higher learning
in Nashville, was created by an act of the North Carolina legislature
in 1785. The school was located 6 miles from Nashville out the present
Gallatin Road where Springhill Cemetery is now. The school shared the
building that served as a meeting house for a Presbyterian congregation
led by Thomas B. Craighead.
1786 - McGavock Map - David McGavock, arrived in the Cumberland
settlements in 1785 to find land for himself and for his father, James
McGavock, Sr. He surveyed and drew a map showing the location of several
parcels he had made claim to, dated August of 1786. There were four
tracts in all, two on the south side of the Cumberland river and two on
the north side. He put his own name on 640 acres on the North side of
the Cumberland River that had originally been granted to Evan Baker.
David's choice, square in shape and measuring one mile on each side, had
two large springs, Fountain Blue and Sinkhole spring.
1787 - Tax List -
Among the names appearing on a 1787 tax list for Davidson County are:
Archibald Buchanan, Andrew Casselman, Robert Eaton, Jacob Pennington,
Andrew Steel, Frederick Stump, and Ebenezer Titus. History of Davidson
County, W. W. Clayton
1788 - A bond signed on December 13, 1788 by Hy. Turney and his
security, William Lancaster is the earliest extant marriage record
issued by Davidson County. Turney was seeking a license to marry Martha
Lancaster. – Davidson County Loose Marriage Bonds and Licenses,
1789 - Jackson and Overton, Attorneys - In July of 1789, Andrew Jackson
and John Overton appeared at the courthouse, before the Superior Court
of Law and Equity presided over by Judge John McNairy, and were admitted
to the bar as practicing attorneys.
1790 - Andrew Jackson - In 1790 Jackson was appointed Attorney General
for the Mero District in the Superior Court of Law and Equity.
1791 - Mero District - A census of Mero district taken this year shows a
population of seven thousand and forty-two. One thousand of these were
males capable of bearing arms. The population of the Indian tribes
surrounding the Territory at that time is variously estimated at from
twenty-five to fifty thousand. Early History of Middle Tennessee, Edward
Albright
1792 - Attack on Buchanan's Station - On the night of September 30, the
stockaded fort of Major John Buchanan was attacked by a party of Indians
numbering around 300. The attack continued for hours and many of the
Indians were wounded or killed. There were about 20 male settlers in the
fort, along with their wives and children. Except for a minor injury of
one, none were hurt or killed.
1793 - Great Flood - In 1793 there was extensive flooding in the area of
Davidson County. Pioneer records detailing spots reached by the 1793
flood indicate it crested at what would have been a river stage of 58.5
feet. Assorted Historical Weather Events in Middle Tennessee, Mark A.
Rose
1794 - On January 17, 1794 Andrew Jackson obtained a license to marry
(reportedly for a second time) Rachel Donelson Robards in Davidson
County. Rachel's brother-in-law Robert Hays and Jackson's close friend
John Overton signed as securities.
1795 - First Town Church - Tradition reports that the first church in
the town of Nashville was built on the Square in 1795. It was twenty
feet square and built of stone. The Methodist congregation sat on split
logs, supported on tree branches. - Building of Nashville, W. F.
Creighton. W. W. Clayton, reported in his History of Davidson County,
that in 1796, "The town was authorized to sell a lot to the Methodists,
who had erected a meeting house on the public square, and also to lay
off suitable lots on the same of other denominations."
1796 - Statehood - On June 1, 1796, Congress approved the admission of Tennessee as the sixteenth state of the Union.
1796 - Ordinary or Tavern - Thomas Talbot, with Isham Allen Parker as
his security, was granted an ordinary license in October of 1796. The
licensee was obligated to provide wholesome, cleanly lodging and diet
for travelers, stabling and fodder for their horses, and "shall not
permit unlawful gaming." Talbot operated an early inn on the Square at
the site where the City Hotel would be built.
1797 - Early Newspaper - The first newspaper published in Nashville was
"The Tennessee Gazette and Mero District Advertiser," in 1797, by a
printer from Kentucky, named Henkle. The following year he sold the
paper to Benjamin J. Bradford. - Brief Annals of Nashville,Anson Nelson
1798 - Haysborough - In the summer of 1798, Thomas Hudson began selling
lots in the new town of Haysborough. Founders, Hudson and George
McWhiter, had named the town in honor of Robert Hays, a soldier of the
Revolution, from whom they purchased the land on which the town was laid
out. Haysborough was officially established by legislative act in 1799.
1799 - Pioneer Justice - The punishment for horse stealing in Nashville,
1799: "The said Andrew Pierce shall stand in the public pillory for one
hour and shall be publicly whipped on his bare back with 39 lashes well
laid on, and at the same time shall have both his ears cut off, and
shall be branded on the right cheek with the letter H and on the left
cheek with the letter T".
1801 - First Market House - An Act to Regulate the Town of Nashville,
passed in 1801, called for Market House to be built on the Public
Square. A twenty by forty foot, rectangular building, it was one of only
four brick buildings in the town. - History of Davidson County, W. W.
Clayton.
1802 - First Industry - Nashville's first industry may have been the
manufacturer of cotton spinning machinery by George Poyzer in 1802.
1802 - Second Court House - Davidson County Court, Oct 15, 1802, page
367, "Court adjourns for five minutes, to meet in the new Courthouse.
Court met according to adjournment in the New Courthouse where was
present...." A notice in a newspaper of the day reveals the building to
be a "a Brick Court-House Two story high, forty feet square in the
clear, with stocks &c." In 1804 the court ordered that a bell be
purchased for the Courthouse and in 1806 the painting of the roof and
steps. -- Davidson County Court Minutes
1802 - Robert "Black Bob" Renfro - An 1802 advertisement in the
Tennessee Gazette announced "that Robert Renfroe [sic] had opened a
house of entertainment in the Nashville." The newspaper gave details of
the emancipation of a slave, property of Robert Searcy, who "shall in
the future be known by the name of Robert Renfro." Renfro, formerly
called Bob, had first been granted license by the county court in 1794
to sell liquor and victuals in the Town of Nashville.
1806 - Regulation of Theatrical Exhibits - The Mayor and Aldermen of the
corporation of the town of Nashville pass an act, prohibiting
theatrical performances without a license and prohibiting gaming tables
and wheels of fortune within the corporate limits.
1809 - Lottery for Water Works - In 1809 the State of Tennessee approved
an act to "authorize the mayor and aldermen of the town of Nashville to
raise a sum of money by lottery for the purpose of bringing water to
town,"
1810 - Population - In 1810 the population of Nashville was 1,100.
1810 - State Legislature Meets - "The Legislature assembled here for the
first time. It subsequently met in Murfreesboro', Kingston, Knoxville,
etc., until its final location in Nashville." Brief Annals of
Nashville,Anson Nelson
1814 - James Robertson Dies - General James Robertson, pioneer founder of Nashville, died on the 1st of September, 1814.
1816 Nashville Female Academy - The Nashville Female Academy was incorporated in 1816, and educated young ladies until 1861.
1818 - Steamboats on the Cumberland - In the spring of 1818, the people
hailed the arrival of the first steamboat at this port. She was 110 tons
burthen, built at Pittsburgh for General William Carroll, and was named
"General Jackson." He sold the boat for $33,000 to Messrs. Fletcher,
Young & Marr. Freight from here to New Orleans was then five cents
per hundred pounds... In 1825, there were from 15 to 20 steamboats
running from Nashville to New Orleans, Louisville and Pittsburgh. --
Brief Annals of Nashville, Anson Nelson
1822 - Nashville City Cemetery - In 1822, the City Cemetery opened on
South Cherry Street, one and half miles south of the Public Square. Many
of Nashville's early pioneers are buried in the old cemetery. Earlier
public cemeteries were located on the public square and on a bluff above
the sulphur spring to the north.
1822 - Fourth of July - "Fourth of July was celebrated at this place.
Steam boats fired a morning salute. Nashville guards...paraded and
escorted General Jackson from the Nashville Inn to the Presbyterian
Church. Mr. Hume offered a prayer...invited guests proceeded to Judge
McNairy's spring where a presumptous dinner was provided....The
amusements of the day were closed by a ball at the Nashville Inn." - The
Clarion, July 9, 1822
1823 - First Bridge across the Cumberland. - The first bridge, a covered
wooden structure, opened in 1823, at the northeast corner of the Square
across to Main Street, where the Victory Memorial Bridges crosses
today. It was demolished in 1851.
1823 - Water Supply - In the early 1820's water was pumped from the
river through water mains of black locust logs which extended to the
Square. The water supply was stopped after the pump house burned in
1830. - Building of Nashville, W. F. Creighton
1824 - University of Nashville - In 1824, Phillip Lindsley accepted the
presidency of Cumberland College and it was at his suggestion that the
name was change to the University of Nashville the following year. The
campus, about a mile south from the Square on a hill in South Nashville,
was later the first of home of the Peabody College.
1826 - Nashville Museum - In 1826 the Nashville Museum opened near the
Square on Market Street, by Dr. de St Leger, "Open from 9 till 12 a.m.
and from 2 till 9 p.m. Admittance 25 cents...fossils, minerals,
quadrupeds, reptiles, insects...specimens of antiquity and Indian
attributes." -- Nashville Whig Nov. 11, 1826
1829 - Market House - An 1829 notice in the Nashville Whig, announced
the completion of a new Market House. Being 272 feet long and 62 feet
wide with a two story structure at each. The rooms at the north end
appropriated for use of the city corporation, the south end housed the
museum of Dr. Troost. - The National Banner and Nashville Whig, Jan. 20,
1829.
1829 - Third Courthouse - On September 19, 1829 the National Banner
described the new Courthouse, still under construction. The building was
105 feet in length at the front and 63 feet deep. The basement story
contains eight rooms. On the second and third floors there are two
rooms, each 40 by 60 feet and two others 23 by 40. The foundation is of
stone and the remainder of brick. A dome, which contained a town clock,
was supported by eight Ionic columns. The courthouse burned in the great
fire of April, 1856.
1831 - Nashville Churches - The first Catholic Church was built in 1831.
Christ Church was built in 1832. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was
dedicated in 1832. McKendree Church was dedicated in 1833. First
Baptist Church was built in 1837.
1833 - Water Works - In 1833 a reservoir was built for a new water
works. The water was pumped from the river with a steam engine. Pipes
were laid from the reservoir to Broad Street, and up Second Avenue to
the Square. - Building of Nashville, W. F. Creighton
1834 - Sulphur Spring - The Sulphur Spring, is situated in the lower
suburbs, on French Lick creek, between Cherry and Summer streets. The
water is a strong salt sulphur, but clear, cold and palatable, and is
said to contain about the same properties of the celebrated Harrowgate
waters.-Here are also cold and warm baths; and the curious observer can
spend a leisure hour very satisfactorily, in examining the fragments of
Indian pottery ware, ancient furnaces for making salt, and various
aboriginal remains which exist here in great abundance. -- Eastin
Morris' Tennessee Gazetteer, 1834
1836 - New Post Office - The Post Office in this town has just been
removed...to the commodious three story building on the opposite side of
Deaderick Street, recently erected by Stephen Cantrell Esq. And
specially fitted up for the purpose, under the direction of Col.
Armstrong....containing 178 boxes handsomely numbered for the use of
individuals... - The National Banner and Nashville Whig, Feb. 12, 1836
1843 - Tennessee State Capitol - The capitol of Tennessee was moved four
times before settling in Nashville. Jonesborough to Knoxville to
Nashville to Murfreesboro and then finally to Nashville. "The seat of
Government was permanently fixed at Nashville on the 7th of October,
1843, after a severe struggle in the Legislature. The city bought
Campbell's Hill for the State House, at a cost of $30,000, and gave it
to the State.... The corner stone of the Capitol was laid, with imposing
Masonic ceremonies, on the 4th of July, 1845. Wm. Strickland was the
architect." -- Brief Annals of Nashville, Anson Nelson
1849 - President Polk - The Hon. James K. Polk, tenth President of the
United States, died at his residence on the 15th of June, 1849, and was
placed in a vault at the City Cemetery with Masonic honors.. On the 22d
of May, 1850, his remains were deposited in the elegant mausoleum
prepared for the purpose, on his own grounds, on the eastern front of
Polk Place (a few blocks west of the Public Square), with solemn and
impressive ceremonies. - Brief Annals of Nashville, Anson Nelson
1850 - Adelphi Theater - Architect Adolphus Heiman had been hired by the
Adelphi Company in 1850 to design, "a costly and handsome edifice
suitable for theatrical performances." Gilman & Hughes were hired as
chief carpenters, to work under the supervision of Heiman. The Adelphi
Theater opened on Cherry Street, just north of Cedar on July 1, 1850. –
Davidson County Chancery Court Records
1851 - Railroad - The first passenger train the N. & C. R. R. was
run out as far as Antioch on the 13th April, 1851, and the first through
train to Chattanooga on the 18th of January, 1853. - Brief Annals of
Nashville, Anson Nelson
1851 - First Street Lamp - "The Nashville Gas Light Company was
chartered November 14th, 1849, and the city was lighted by gas on the
night of February 13th, 1851." The first gas works in Tennessee to
manufacture gas from coal, the firm continued as the Nashville Gas
Company. - Brief Annals of Nashville, Anson Nelson
1853 - Suspension Bridge - In 1853, at the site of the present Woodland
Street Bridge, a bridge designed by architect Adolphus Heiman was built
across the Cumberland. This suspension bridge was destroyed in the 1862,
when the evacuating Confederate Army cut the cables and the bridge fell
into the river. In 1866 a new bridge was erected using the same support
towers.
1855 - Public Schools - Hume School was formally opened in February 1855, as the first public school in the City of Nashville.
1856 - Disastrous Fire - The great fire of April 16, 1856 destroyed the a
number of buildings on the Public Square including the Nashville
Courthouse and Nashville Inn. Gov. Andrew Johnson was a guest at the
inn. He went to the rescue of a lady and $1200 he had under his pillow
went with the fire. The inn was the Democratic headquarters when James
K. Polk spent the night there Jan. 31, 1845 before departing on Feb. 1,
to be inaugurated President.
1857 - Police Department - The 1857 Nashville Business Directory
announced that John A. Petty, Chief of Police was assisted by
twenty-three stout men.
1859 - Fourth Courthouse - In 1856, W. Francis Strickland, son of
William Strickland designer of the Tennessee State Capitol, was hired to
build a new courthouse. The chosen design, very similar to the Capitol,
had a basement and three stories above ground, and was 118 feet by 72
feet in size. The court first met in the building in Jan. 1859. In 1910
an additional story added to the Courthouse. The building was demolished
in 1935.
1861 - Confederate Citizen - On the 20th day of November 1861, Kentucky
native, Charles Marshall Morris, walked across the Square and into the
courthouse to declare his intention to become a citizen of the
Confederate States of America and to renounce forever all allegiance to
Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States before the Clerk of the
Circuit Court.
1862 - Nashville Plow Works - Located at 8th Ave. and Palmer Place
Nashville Plow Works turned plowshares into swords for the Confederacy
before Nashville fell to the Union. So rare are these swords today, you
can easily turn one into cash to the tune of $15,000.
1862 - Fort Negley - Constructed in 1862, mostly by the labor of free
Blacks and slaves hired by the Union Army. It was the largest
fortification built by the Union forces in Nashville.
1864 - Nashville Synagogues - In 1864 there were three synagogues in
Nashville. The old synagogue was on North Market Street. In 1869 Douglas
Hall on Market Street just north of the Public Square, was dedicated as
the synagogue of the Reform Congregation. In 1874 the corner stone was
laid for the Vine Street Temple. - Beginnings on Market Street, Fedora
Small Frank
1865 - Aftermath of War - "Nashville is overrun with ragged children,
paroled rebels, discharged government employees, mustered out Union
troops and thieves. The penitentiary is filled to overflowing. In
addition to possessing such a motley population, we can lay claim to a
very filthy and dingy city." - Beginnings on Market Street, Fedora Small
Frank
1866 - Horse-drawn Street Car - In 1866 the first horse-drawn street car
was operated in Nashville. The first line extended from the Public
Square out 4th avenue to the University. In 1892 faster, electric cars
replaced the horse cars. - Building of Nashville, W. F. Creighton
1866 - Fisk University - One of the first black institutions of higher
learning in Nashville, Fisk University was founded in 1866 by the
American Missionary Association and the Western Freedmen's Aid
Commission. The school was chartered as a University in 1867.
1867 - Montgomery Bell Academy - Montgomery Bell, owner of the
Cumberland Iron Works, at his death in 1855, gave $20,000 to establish a
school for the education of children.
1869 - Mount Ararat Cemetery - Located at 800 Elm Hill Pike, Mount
Ararat was founded in 1869 and is the oldest black cemetery in
Nashville. In 1982 it was purchased by Greenwood Cemetery and renamed
Greenwood Cemetery West.
1869 - Edgefield - The land lying to the East of the Public Square,
across the Cumberland was incorporated in 1869 as separate city called
Edgefield. In 1880 Edgefield was annexed by the city of Nashville.
1872 - First African-American Legislator - Elected in 1872, Sampson
Keeble, a Nashvillian, was the first African-American legislator in
Tennessee.
1873 - Vanderbilt University - The university was founded in 1873 by
Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt who gave $1,000,000 to start the
university and expressed his wish that it should "contribute to
strengthening the ties which should exist between all geographical
sections of our common country."
1876 - Meharry Medical College - Established in 1876 for the training of
black physicians, Meharry was one of only two such colleges in the
United States. By 1920, approximately two-thirds of all black physicians
were educated at Meharry.
1876 - Vine Street Temple - On the 26th May, the Jewish Temple, on South Vine street, now 7th Avenue North, was dedicated.
1877 - Air Mail - The world's first air mail stamp was printed in
Nashville for use on the 1877 hot-air balloon mail run from Nashville to
Gallatin.
1877 - Telephone Service - Nashville was the first city in the south to
receive telephone service in 1877. By 1883 the telephone directory was
one page long and contained 350 names.
1878 - First African-American Councilman - The first African-American
city councilman was James Carroll Napier, who served three terms from
1878-1889. Napier, a prominent lawyer, was appointed Registrar of the
United States Treasury in 1911 under President Taft.
1879 - Maxwell House - December 25th, 1879 the high fashion Maxwell
House offered the following for Christmas fare: Cumberland Mountain
Black Bear leg, Kentucky Raccoon, Canvas-back duck and Wild Goose. For
dessert; English Walnut cake and Oranges in Sherry Wine.
1880 - Andrew Jackson - The equestrian statue of General Andrew Jackson
on the State Capitol grounds was unveiled during the 1880 Nashville
Centennial. Five veterans who had served under Jackson were present for
the ceremony.
1882 - Electric Lights - The first electric light was lit at the State Capitol on May 1, 1882.
1883 - Electric Street Lights - On June 12 1883, Alderman McWhorter
moved for passage of a bill providing for lighting the streets of the
city, and contracting with the Brush Electric Light Company for two
hundred lights for that purpose. The motion was passed with a vote of
ten to four.
1885 - Sports - The Nashville Athletic Club and the Nashville Football
Club played their first game on Thanksgiving Day, 1885. The Nashville
Athletic Club won with a final score of 6-4.
1886 - Old Glory - Capt. William Driver dies and is buried in
Nashville's historic City Cemetery. Driver named the American Flag "Old
Glory" and it was his flag that rose over the state capitol when
Nashville fell to Union Forces. Although Capt. Driver's loyalties
remained with the Union, three of his sons served in the Confederate
army and one of them died from wounds suffered in battle.
1886 - Woodland Street Bridge - In April 1886, the Woodland Street
Bridge opened and was used for 80 years. The bridge, was 639 feet long
and 54 feet wide and was built of wrought iron. A new structure at the
same site, also called the Woodland Street Bridge, opened December 1,
1966. It was the first Cumberland River bridge built under Metropolitan
Government.
1890 - Electric Street Car - The first electric streetcar ran from
Fourth and Charlotte to Tenth Avenue on December 10, 1890. Electric
streetcar service ended in February, 1941.
1892 - Record Snow Fall - On March 16th and 17th, 1892, Nashville
received a record snow fall of 17 inches in a 24 hour period and 21
inches over two days.
1894 - Hay Market - The City Hay Market was located a few blocks south
of the Public Square, on Fourth Avenue South between McGavock and
Demonbreun Streets. It was used mainly for the sale and swapping of
horses, mules and cows. The hay brought in for the animals gave the
market its name. –City Nashville Annual Report 1894
1896 - First Baptist Church Capitol Hill - The Gothic Revival building
on Eighth Ave., erected in 1896 was a new home for a congregation that
had begun in 1848, as a slave mission of the white congregation of First
Baptist Church. It became a center for participants in the civil rights
struggle of the 1960's. First Baptist, threatened by urban renewal
around Capitol Hill was forced to move in 1971 down the hill to James
Robertson Parkway. - Interview, Dr. Bobby L. Lovett, 2002. A Brief
History of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill: An Afro-American Journey
of Faith, 1865-2001,
1897 - Nashville's First Automobile - The first car in Nashville was a
Mueller-Benz driven in the Tennessee Centennial Day Parade, October 28,
1897.
1900 - Union Station - The grand Union Station opened to passenger
traffic in 1900 and continued to serve in that capacity until the late
1970's. Alligators once lived in fountains around Union Station but
their constant croaking finally caused their removal in the early 1900s.
1903 - Turnpike Fees - The Nashville and Hillsboro Turnpike Company
charged $.03 for horse or mule, $.20 for 20 sheep and $.25 for beef
cattle. The Turnpike closed in 1903.
1904 - Citizens Bank - The One Cent Savings Bank, now Citizens Bank,
became the first minority owned bank in Tennessee in 1904. Citizens Bank
is the oldest continually operating minority owned bank in the United
States.
1904 - Street Name Changes - In 1904 the name of the streets running
north and south from the square and beyond, were changed to numbers as
follows: Front Street became 1st Avenue; Market became 2nd; College
became 3rd; Cherry became 4th; Summer became 5th; High became 6th; Vine
became 7th; and Spruce Street became 8th Avenue.
1905 - Underground Utility Lines - In about 1905, the Tennessee
Legislature considered passage of an Enabling Act, giving Nashville the
right to issue bonds for the construction of a subway and conduit
system, and to compel the Telephone, Electric Light, and other companies
to place overhead wires in this conduit, for a rental fee. The measure
was supported by Davidson County legislators but was not passed. --
Memoirs of Judge Litton Hickman
1906 - Greenwood Park - Preston Taylor established Greenwood Park at the
corner of Elm Hill Pike and Spence Lane for the Black community. The
privately owned park covered about 40 acres and included a club house,
shooting gallery, merry-go-round and baseball park.
1907 - Wild West Show - Buffalo Bill Cody arrived in Nashville on
October 2, 1907 with 63 train cars of cowboys, dancing girls, wild
Indians and 550 horses.
1907 - Humane Society - The Nashville Humane Society proclaimed in 1907
that there are "ten drinking fountains for stock, including the handsome
bronze fountain ...which are a great convenience and benefit."
1909 - The Shelby Avenue Bridge - The nearly identical Shelby and
Jefferson Street Bridges, were completed in 1909 and 1910. They were
constructed by the Foster and Creighton Company. The Shelby Street
Bridge crossed the river from Sparkman Street downtown to Shelby Avenue
in East Nashville. Sparkman Street, Shelby Avenue and Hay Market Bridge
were among the names proposed, but the bridge committee chose "Broadway
Bridge" instead. The bridge came to be called the Sparkman Street Bridge
and later the name Shelby Street Bridge was unofficially adopted.
1910 - The Jefferson Street Bridge - The Jefferson Street Bridge crosses
the river from Jefferson Street downtown to Spring Street in East
Nashville. The original Jefferson Street Bridge was demolished in 1992. A
replacement, opened in 1994, was officially dedicated to honor the Rev.
Kelly Miller Smith, a Nashville civil rights pioneer.
1910 - Marathon Motors - Southern Motor Works produced the Marathon
Automobile in Nashville from 1910-1914. The plant, still standing on
12th Ave. North and Clinton St., provided parts and service until
closing in 1918.
1912 - Nashville City Reservoir - The Reservoir, located on 8th Avenue
South was built between 1887 and 1889. In 1912, the southeast wall
broke, spilling millions of gallons of water to neighborhoods across 8th
Avenue. Many houses were destroyed but no one was killed.
1913 - Standard Candy Company - "In 1913, an American company called
Standard Candy created the first amalgamated candy bar by adding
multiple ingredients to form one piece of candy. Their Goo Goo Cluster, a
Southern favorite combined milk chocolate, caramel, marshmallow and
nuts." - Candy: The Sweet HistoryBeth Kimmerle
1916 - East Nashville Fire - Nashville's worst fire occurred in East
Nashville on Wednesday, March 22, 1916. 648 buildings were destroyed,
3,000 left homeless yet only one life was lost.
1918 - Dutchman's Bend Train Wreck - A train accident occurred in
Davidson County in July of 1918, at Dutchman's Bend near the present day
Belle Meade Shopping Center. Two trains of the Nashville, Chattanooga
& St. Louis Railroad collided and over 100 people were killed.
1922 - The Fugitives - In 1922, a group of 16 Southern poets associated
with Vanderbilt University published the first issue of The Fugitive
magazine, beginning the southern literary revival of the 1920s. The
members of the Fugitives were John Crowe Ransom, Donald Davidson, Allen
Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Merrill Moore, Jesse Wills, Alec Brock
Stevenson, Walter Clyde Curry, Stanley Johnson, Sidney Mttron Hirsch,
James M. Frank, William Yandell Elliott, Laura Riding, William Frierson,
Ridley Wills, and Alfred Starr.
1927 - War Memorial Building - Authorized in 1919 as a memorial to
Tennesseans killed during the First World War, the War Memorial building
on Capitol Boulevard was completed in 1927. Victory Square Park was
located across Capitol Boulevard from the building. Deaderick Street,
for a time renamed Victory Boulevard, allowed an excellent view from
Public Square. Victory Square park was replaced by the Legislative Plaza
in the early 1970's.
1927 - Cumberland River Flood - On January 1, 1927 the Cumberland River
rose to 56.2 feet at the Nashville gauge, the highest recorded flood
waters in the city.
1928 - Grand Ole Opry - In Nov. of 1925, the radio show WSM Barn Dance
was first broadcast from Nashville as George D. Hay, producer of the WSM
Barn Dance coined the name Grand Ole Opry in 1928, while opening his
weekly radio show. The live show was first performed in the studio of
the National Life & Accident Insurance Company and was relocated
several times it's audience grew. In 1943 it moved into the Ryman
Auditorium. The Ryman was home to the Opry until 1975, when the show
moved to the new Grand Ole Opry House on Briley Parkway. -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ole_Opry
1930 - Speed Limit - In 1930 it was illegal in Nashville to drive a car faster than 15 miles per hour through an intersection.
1933 - East Nashville Tornado - The storm which caused extensive
property damage and several deaths in East Nashville, also took a toll
on the public square. More than a dozen buildings, most on the north
side of the square suffered damage, and losses were estimated at more
than $500,000.
1937 - New Market House - In September of 1935, property was acquired on
the north side of the Public Square for a new City Market House.
Designed by architect Henry C. Hibbs, the building was constructed by
the firm of Foster and Creighton. Completed in 1937, this would be the
last Market House on the Nashville Public Square. Now the oldest
building remaining on the Public Square is the one which was the
beginning of the end for the "old Square.' Known today as the Ben West
Building, it is used by Metro General Sessions Courts. --Creighton
Collection
1937 - Fifth Courthouse - The present Courthouse completed in 1937, was
designed by architects Emmons H. Woolwine of Nashville and Frederic C.
Hirons of New York. The cornerstone was laid Aug. 10, 1936, and the
building dedicated Dec. 8, 1937. The building is 8 stories high and
measures 260 feet by 96 feet.
1946 - Moon Beams - Nashville native Jack DeWitt made headlines around
the world when he be came the first man to bounce radar off the moon.
DeWitt designed a device during WWII to detect location of enemy
mortars. DeWitt and his device are credited with saving thousands of
lives during the war.
1949 - The Board of Magazine Censors - Created by city ordinance, the
Board of Magazine Censors had the authority to "ban immoral, obscene or
vulgar materials, with the exception of newspapers."
1951 - Blizzard of '51 - January 31, 1951 will always be known as day of
the "Great Blizzard." Over 16,000 homes were without power and over
2,000 telephones were out during a period when the temperature dropped
to -13 degrees.
1951 - African American City Council Members - Z. Alexander Looby and
Robert Lillard elected to the City Council, the first African-Americans
to win seats in that body since 1911.
1952 - Old Hickory Dam - Construction on Old Hickory Dam began in 1952 and was completed in 1957, creating Old Hickory Lake.
1956 - Victory Memorial Bridge - In 1949 Governor Gordon Browning signed
a bill authorizing construction of a bridge to serve as a memorial to
Tennesseans who lost their lives in World War II. The Victory Memorial
Bridge opened in May of 1956. Eventually plaques listing the names of
every Davidson County resident who died in service during World War II
were placed at the west end of the bridge. A dedication ceremony in
honor of War dead, held May 30, 1964, was presided over by Mayor Beverly
Briley.
1957 - The Life and Casualty Building, tallest building in the Southeast opens for business.
1961 - Maxwell House - On Christmas Day 1961, the Maxwell House Hotel,
located at 4th and Church, was destroyed by fire. Construction of the
building was started in 1859 and it used as a hospital during the Civil
War. After the war the building was finished and was a find hotel for
many years.
1980 - North Side Public Square - In 1980 only a few old buildings on
the Public Square, all on the North side, remained. These last hold-outs
were torn down for the construction of the Criminal Justice Center,
dedicated in October 1982.
1998 - Nashville Tornado - Closely following the path of the deadly 1933
tornado, this storm caused extensive damage in the city. Dozens of
buildings in Downtown Nashville suffered structual damage and more than
300 houses in East Nashville were damaged.
2003 - Shelby Avenue Bridge - The Shelby Avenue Bridge, closed to
automobile traffic in 1998. Both the East and West approaches were
demolished and reconstructed, and now fall short of the original
landing. The bridge reopened in 2003 as a pedestrian bridge.
2004 - Gateway Bridge - The Gateway Bridge spanning the Cumberland River
from Shelby Avenue in East Nashville to Franklin Street in downtown
Nashville opened on May 19th, 2004.
2006 – Fisk Jubilee Singers - Fisk Jubilee Singers celebrate 135 years
with Nashville Walk of Fame induction. On October 6, 1871, Fisk music
professor George L. White began a journey with his choral students that
would bring them worldwide fame. The tour took the group all over the
United States and to Europe, to raise money for Fisk University for the
financially troubled school.
2010 – Flood - The Cumberland River reached nearly 12 feet above flood
stage and topped out at 51.9 feet. Hundreds of people were rescued from
their homes by boat and canoe. Over 13 inches of rain fell on May 1st,
and May 2nd. There were 11 deaths in Davidson County.
2013 – Music City Center - The Music City Center is located just south
of Broadway in downtown Nashville on a 16-acre site. The center opened
in June of 2012.
Nashville Facts compiled by Debie Cox. Updated July 2013