Near Gallatin in Sumner County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Town of Cairo
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 31, 2021
1. Town of Cairo Marker (side A)
In 1799 James Winchester and William Cage, Jr. purchased 150 acres on the banks of the Cumberland River and here founded the town of Cairo. Four principal streets were laid out. Lots were sold between 1800 and 1820. The County Court met at Cairo from 1800 to 1803. The census of 1830 showed 30 families living in the town, incorporated in 1815. Between 1804 and 1830 there were 4 doctors, 2 schools. 13 stores, a cotton mil1, woolen mill, grist mill, sawmill, still house, carpenter, cooper, blacksmith,
silversmith, a boatyard, shoemaker. a tanyard, cotton spinning factory, a church, the Bell Tavern, Cairo Race Track, and two large warehouses on the banks of the river. Barges, keelboats, and steamboats came to the Cairo landing. Cairo was on its way to rivaling Nashville as a river port. Due to the selection of Gallatin as the county seat, an economic recession, a decline in river traffic, and the advent of new roads, Cairo was virtually a ghost town by 1855.
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3B 71.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 31, 2021
2. Town of Cairo Marker (side B)
this page online
Location. 36° 21.781′ N, 86° 21.903′ W. Marker is near Gallatin, Tennessee, in Sumner County. Marker is on Cairo Road, 0.1 miles north of Zieglers Fort Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2400 Cairo Road, Gallatin TN 37066, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cairo Rosenwald School (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Civil War in Sumner County (approx. 1.1 miles away); James B. Jameson House (approx. 2.6 miles away); Cragfont (approx. 2.7 miles away); In Memory of all American Veterans (approx. 2.8 miles away); a different marker also named Cragfont (approx. 3.1 miles away); a different marker also named Cragfont (approx. 3.2 miles away); Abraham “Abram” Bledsoe (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gallatin.
Also see . . . The Lost Town of Cairo. By Ryan Baker for the Sumner County Museum's blog,
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 31, 2021
3. Town of Cairo Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 289 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 2, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
