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

Kossie Gardner Sr.

1897 - 1990

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 13, 2025

1. Kossie Gardner Sr. Marker

Inscription. Born Carthegerius Cosby, Kossie Gardner Sr. was a farmer and Pullman porter before becoming an undertaker. By 1925 he was the youngest funeral director in Nashville. Gardner moved the K. Gardner Funeral Home from a rented room downtown to 1511 Jefferson Street, where it continued for 64 years. He owned the K. Gardner Building at 419-421 4th Ave. N. and in 1953 established Gold Coast Nashville's first African American subdivision. In 1958 he opened the Hills of Calvary cemetery.

Erected 2025 by The Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County. (Marker Number 283.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location. 36° 10.218′ N, 86° 48.186′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in Fisk/Meharry. It is on Jefferson Street east of 16th Avenue North, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1513 Jefferson St, Nashville TN 37208, United States

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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: Fisk University Athletics (within shouting distance of this marker); Jefferson Street's Rich History (within shouting distance of this marker); The Alfred Stieglitz Collection at Fisk University/The Civil Rights March (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nashville Sit-Ins (about 400 feet away); Woodcuts Gallery (about 400 feet away); Dr. Matthew Walker Sr. (about 500 feet away); Fisk University (about 500 feet away); John Wesley Frierson (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 13, 2025

2. Kossie Gardner Sr. Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 71 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 13, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.