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

Enslaved People at Sunnyside

Sunnyside in Sevier Park

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, September 7, 2024

1. Enslaved People at Sunnyside Marker

Inscription. Sunnyside was given its name by Mary Douglass, grandniece of Mary Benton, who lived here with her husband T.F. Sevier in the early years of their marriage. The 1860 slave census indicates the Benton-Douglass-Sevier family enslaved twenty people at Sunnyside at that time. Unfortunately none of the cabins or other outbuildings associated with this time period remain. The Metro Historical Commission continues to conduct archaeological investigations and archival research to learn more about the people enslaved at Sunnyside.

Slave census schedules rarely included the names of enslaved people, but wills and other property records did. Using an 1853 property transfer document that quotes Jesse Benton's will, we know that Horatio and Charlotte Benton and Julius and Kitty Martin were enslaved at Sunnyside. Horatio and Charlotte were enslaved here with their daughters: Malinda, Ellen, Louisa, and Caroline. Horatio was the coachman and Charlotte was the cook for the Benton-Douglass-Sevier family. We also know that Julius and Kitty (Kittie) and their children Mitchell, John, Jane, Ross, and Bill were enslaved here.

Photo captions:
(Left): Two story cabin, photographed c.1911. This structure was located directly behind the main house and likely housed many of the enslaved people on the site. - Nashville Public Library

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Special Collections
(Right): The 1860 Slave Census Schedule show Mary Benton (age 70) and 18 of the people enslaved at Sunnyside. Ages of each person are record, but no names. Unfortunately, none of the cabins or other outbuildings associated with this time period remain. -Metro Historical Commission

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: African Americans.

Location. 36° 7.177′ N, 86° 47.356′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in Breeze Hill. It can be reached from the intersection of Clayton Avenue and Lealand Lane. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 Clayton Ave, Nashville TN 37204, 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 least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sunnyside (within shouting distance of this marker); Early History (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Granville Sevier (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War: The Battle of Nashville (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. L.G. Noel (within shouting distance of this marker); Sevier Park (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Sunnyside (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jack Clement Recording Studios (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, September 7, 2024

2. Enslaved People at Sunnyside Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 223 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 8, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.