Edgehill in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Callie Guy House
1861 - 1928
| — | Reparations Advocate | — |
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, September 9, 2026
1. Callie Guy House Marker
Callie Guy House was born into slavery in Rutherford County, Tennessee, in 1861. In 1883 she married William House and moved to this neighborhood. Widowed, she supported her five children as a washerwoman while working for the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty & Pension Association. The association agitated for reparations for those formerly enslaved. Its other officers were all men, but it was House's determined organizing that grew the membership to hundreds of thousands and sustained the reparations movement.
(Reverse Side)
After Congress denied reparations, House led a lawsuit seeking slavery reparations from the $68 million the U.S. collected on rebel cotton raised using enslaved labor and seized during the Civil War. Her efforts led to the first federal lawsuit for reparations. The Supreme Court's case of Johnson v. McAdoo rejected their claim in 1917. House's defiant advocacy for reparations angered federal officials, who prosecuted her for mail fraud. In 1917 House was convicted by an all-white jury and served one year in prison. She died at home on June 26, 1928.
Erected 2026 by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3A 269.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is June 26, 1928.
Location. 36° 8.57′ N, 86° 47.21′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in Edgehill. It is at the intersection of Edgehill Avenue and 12th Avenue South, on the right when traveling west on Edgehill Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:
this page online
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: DeFord Bailey (within shouting distance of this marker); History of Edgehill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rev. Bill Barnes (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Callie Guy House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mississippi to Nashville (approx. 0.4 miles away); William Edmondson Studio and Home Site (approx. 0.4 miles away); Nashville's Music Row (approx. 0.4 miles away); 1303 16th Avenue South/1225, 1227, 1301, 1303, 1305 16th Avenue South (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, September 9, 2026
2. Callie Guy House Marker
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, September 9, 2026
3. Callie Guy House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 10, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
