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

Fort Negley

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 31, 2021

1. Fort Negley Marker

Inscription. Atop St. Cloud Hill, Fort Negley was built in late 1862 as part of a complex system of defensive fortifications designed to protect the Union garrison in Nashville from Confederate attack during the Civil War. Using labor of slaves and free blacks, the army built the largest inland masonry fortification in North America, comprised of more than 60,000 cubic feet of stone. Negley was never directly challenged throughout the war, including the 1864 Battle of Nashville.

In the 1930s the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program, recreated the fort. The stone arch entrance here in the plaza and the decaying dry-stack limestone walls you see atop the hill are all WPA construction. Today, the ruins of Fort Negley remain as an open-air museum and testament to Nashville's historic past. The site is recognized in the National Register of Historic Places for its significance as both a Civil War fort and a WPA project.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free." — Abraham Lincoln, President

Erected 2004 by Metropolitan Government of

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Nashville and Davidson County Parks & Recreation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 36° 8.604′ N, 86° 46.525′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in South Nashville. It can be reached from Fort Negley Boulevard near Chestnut Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is on wall behind the entrance arch to Fort Negley. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard, Nashville TN 37203, 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.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 31, 2021

2. Fort Negley Marker

Marker is on far left.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Road to War (here, next to this marker); The Civil War (here, next to this marker); War in the West (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Fort Negley (within shouting distance of this marker); War in the West: Battles and Campaigns (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Negley Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Nashville Surrendered (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Peach Orchard Hill (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Fort Negley (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 368 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.