North Capitol in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Eastern Highland Rim / State Capitol
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, June 11, 2022
1. Eastern Highland Rim Marker
Inscription.
Eastern Highland Rim, also, State Capitol. .
Eastern Highland Rim. The Eastern Highland Rims coupled with the Western Rim is the upland surrounding the Central Basin of Tennessee. It is separated from the Western Rim on the north by the passage of the Cumberland River into Tennessee from Kentucky and on the south by the state boundary. The elevation of the Highland Rim at 1,000 feet above sea level is intermediate between the Cumberland Plateau and the Central Basin. The Eastern Highland Rim is about 25 miles in width and contains an area of 2.500 square miles. It includes all or part of Cannon, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Overton, Putnam, Warren and White counties. , Geology The surface bedrock of the Eastern Highland Rim consists principally of cherty limestone underlain by shale. The chert is very hard and almost insoluble in water. The presence of the rock near the surface at the western edge of the rim has created areas that are termed barren and do not support a lot of tree growth. The eastern part of the rim has good examples of Karst topography made up of limestone pure in composition which is very soluble in acid ground water and therefore contains numerous sinkholes and fascinating caves. , Plants Dry upland slope forests of the rim are offen dominated by chestnut oak with additional species of hickory, scarlet oak, and blackjack oak. The flatwoods are limited to the barrens region centered in Coffee county which are primarily blackjack oak, southern red oak, and post oak. Most ravine forests are abundant in the Eastern Highland Rim and include sugar maple, beach, tulip poplar, and white oak. Major subcanopy trees are dogwood, redbud, and ironwood. Natural grasslands or barrens occur sporadically on the Eastern Highland Rim. The most significant is May Prairie in Coffee County which is a tall grass prairie containing switch grass, Indian grass, and little bluestem. , Plants native to the Eastern Highland Rim physiographic province include red oak, sugar maple, yellowwood, sassafras, redbud, dogwood, sumac, viburnum, Indian grass, goldenrod, and ironweed. ,
State Capitol. The Walkway of Counties celebrates the state's 95 governmental divisions. It also pays tribute to the centerpiece of Tennessee government, the State Capitol, standing in the distance much as it did when substantially completed in the 1850s. The Capitol continues to serve both the governor and the legislators as the seat of government, and embodies Tennessee's representative form of democracy with great beauty. , The arrival of numerous skyscrapers on the Nashville skyline greatly diminished visual prominence of the Capitol using the the second half of the twentieth century. Efforts to maintain a significant, unobstructed view of the statehouse were realized with the Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall, dedicated in 1996. The grandeur of Tennessee's temple of democracy, as seen from a distance, was thus preserved. , The majestic Greek Revival statehouse was designed by William Strickland, one of America's preeminent architects in the early nineteenth century, who was brought to Nashville from Philadelphia for the project. He considered the Capitol to be one of the crowning achievements, and was buried in the northeast corner wall when he died in 1854 during the last stages of the building's construction. , The Capitol was constructed of soft Tennessee limestone from a Nashville quarry located near what is now 13th and Charlotte avenues. The limestone was excavated, shaped, transported, and installed by skilled stonemasons with the assistance of workers, slaves, and convict labor. By the early part of the twentieth century, the exterior limestone was so badly deteriorated that large pieces began to fall, endangering the public. The General Assembly appropriated funds in 1953 to repair the exterior of the structure. A harder limestone from Indiana was used tin the restoration, and the deteriorated columns were hauled several miles west to an abandoned site near the State Prison. , In 1995, architect Charles Warterfield, FAIA, who was actively involved both in the 1950s Capitol restoration and the planning of the Mall, composed an arrangement of the original column fragments near the belvedere on the northwest side of Capitol Hill as a tribute to those who built the statehouse. Additional fragments of the columns were also placed at the midpoint of the Mall. In 1999, the columnar arrangement on Capitol Hill was named in memory of Mr. Warterfield.
Eastern Highland Rim
The Eastern Highland Rims coupled with the Western Rim is the upland surrounding the Central Basin of Tennessee. It is separated from the Western Rim on the north by the passage of the Cumberland River into Tennessee from Kentucky and on the south by the state boundary. The elevation of the Highland Rim at
1,000 feet above sea level is intermediate between the Cumberland Plateau and the Central Basin. The Eastern Highland Rim is about 25 miles in width and contains an area of 2.500 square miles. It includes all or part of Cannon, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Overton, Putnam, Warren and White counties.
Geology
The surface bedrock of the Eastern Highland Rim consists
principally of cherty limestone underlain by shale. The chert is
very hard and almost insoluble in water. The presence of the rock
near the surface at the western edge of the rim has created areas
that are termed barren and do not support a lot of tree growth.
The eastern part of the rim has good examples of Karst topography
made up of limestone pure in composition which is very soluble in
acid ground water and therefore contains numerous sinkholes and
fascinating caves.
Plants
Dry upland slope forests of the rim are offen dominated by
chestnut oak
Click or scan to see this page online
with additional species of hickory, scarlet oak, and
blackjack oak. The flatwoods are limited to the barrens region
centered in Coffee county which are primarily blackjack oak,
southern red oak, and post oak. Most ravine forests are abundant
in the Eastern Highland Rim and include sugar maple, beach, tulip
poplar, and white oak. Major subcanopy trees are dogwood,
redbud, and ironwood. Natural grasslands or barrens occur
sporadically on the Eastern Highland Rim. The most significant
is May Prairie in Coffee County which is a tall grass prairie containing switch grass, Indian grass, and little bluestem.
Plants native to the Eastern Highland Rim physiographic province include red oak, sugar maple, yellowwood, sassafras, redbud, dogwood, sumac, viburnum, Indian grass, goldenrod, and ironweed.
State Capitol
The Walkway of Counties celebrates the state's 95 governmental
divisions. It also pays tribute to the centerpiece of Tennessee
government, the State Capitol, standing in the distance much as
it did when substantially completed in the 1850s. The Capitol
continues to serve both the governor and the legislators as the
seat of government, and embodies Tennessee's representative
form of democracy with great beauty.
The arrival of numerous skyscrapers on the Nashville skyline
greatly diminished visual prominence
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, June 11, 2022
2. Eastern Highland Rim / State Capitol Marker
of the Capitol using the
the second half of the twentieth century. Efforts to maintain a
significant, unobstructed view of the statehouse were realized
with the Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall, dedicated in 1996.
The grandeur of Tennessee's temple of democracy, as seen from
a distance, was thus preserved.
The majestic Greek Revival statehouse was designed by William
Strickland, one of America's preeminent architects in the early nineteenth century, who was brought to Nashville from Philadelphia for the project. He considered the Capitol to be one of the crowning achievements, and was buried in the northeast corner wall when he died in 1854 during the last stages of the building's construction.
The Capitol was constructed of soft Tennessee limestone from a Nashville quarry located near what is now 13th and Charlotte avenues. The limestone was excavated, shaped, transported, and installed by skilled stonemasons with the assistance of workers, slaves, and convict labor. By the early part of the twentieth century, the exterior limestone was so badly deteriorated that large pieces began to fall, endangering the public. The General Assembly appropriated funds in 1953 to repair the exterior of the structure. A harder limestone from Indiana was used tin the restoration, and the deteriorated columns were hauled several miles west to an abandoned site near
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, June 11, 2022
3. State Capitol Marker
the State Prison.
In 1995, architect Charles Warterfield, FAIA, who was actively involved both in the 1950s Capitol restoration and the planning of the Mall, composed an arrangement of the original column fragments near the belvedere on the northwest side of Capitol Hill as a tribute to those who built the statehouse. Additional fragments of the columns were also placed at the midpoint of the Mall. In 1999, the columnar arrangement on Capitol Hill was named in memory of Mr. Warterfield.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1996.
Location. 36° 10.295′ N, 86° 47.235′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in North Capitol. Marker is on 5th Avenue North, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1023 5th Ave N, Nashville TN 37208, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 214 times since then and 94 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 29, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
