East Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Evergreen Place

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 7, 2021

1. Evergreen Place Marker

Inscription. Rev. Thomas Brown Craighead settled this land in 1795. He was a prominent Presbyterian minister and founding father of Davidson Academy, now known as Cumberland College. Mr. A.W. Johnson, a wealthy local merchant, purchased the property from Craigheads in 1845, after Mrs. Craighead's death. Johnson built a two-story dogtrot log cabin at the site, and dendrochronoloy tests indicate the original logs for the cabin were harvested in 1837. The cabin was later remodeled into a wood frame and brick Tennessee vernacular farmhouse. It is unknown if the farmhouse was remodeled by Johnson or Mr. and Mrs. Carlos and Narcissa Demick, who bought the property in 1854. Mrs. Demick is given credit for naming the property Evergreen Place. In 1855, Mr. Demick and his two children died of consumption. In 1857, Narcissa married Mr. George Bradford, a Civil War veteran. Mr. Bradford died in 1866, and Narcissa lived the remainder of her life at Evergreen Place until her death in 1896. The Bradfords raised six children together. Mr. George Bradford Jr., one of their sons, made Evergreen Place famous for Jersey Cattle in the early 1900s. In 1980,

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the descendants of the Bradford family sold Evergreen Place to Mary Reeves Davis, the widow of country-western singer Jim Reeves. The property then became the home of the Jim Reeves Museum for approximately ten years.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1795.

Location. 36° 14.05′ N, 86° 43.535′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in East Nashville. It can be reached from Joyce Lane west of Gallatin Pike (U.S. 31E). Marker is behind the Regions Bank branch. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1025 Joyce Lane, Nashville TN 37216, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 7, 2021

2. Evergreen Place Marker

The marker is in front of two log outbuildings from Evergreen Place.

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: History of Spring Hill Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of Isaac Litton High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); U.S. Colored Troops Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Tanglewood Historic District (approx. half a mile away); Earl Eugene Scruggs (approx. half a mile away); Louise Certain Scruggs (approx. half a mile away); Jimmy Martin (approx. half a mile away); A National Cemetery System (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Regarding Evergreen Place. A developer demolished Evergreen Place, despite its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, in 2005 to make way for a home-improvement store. As part of a settlement between the developer and the city, the two slave cabins behind the marker were spared demolition and relocated for possible preservation.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,883 times since then and 236 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 8, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.