Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
 
 
 
 
 
 
After filtering for Tennessee, 756 entries match your criteria. The first 100 are listed.                                               Next 100 

 
 

African Americans Topic

 
Clinton High School Marker image, Touch for more information
By Tom Bosse, December 30, 2017
Clinton High School Marker
1 Tennessee, Anderson County, Clinton — 1D 41 — Clinton High School
Following a court order by Federal District Judge Robert L. Taylor, on August 27, 1956, 12 black students, now known as "The Clinton 12", enrolled in Clinton High School without incident, making it one of the first desegregated public high schools . . . Map (db m121331) HM
2 Tennessee, Anderson County, Clinton — Clinton Middle School1927
The structure currently home to Clinton Middle School was built in 1927 as the new Clinton High School. When Anderson County Schools took over operation of Clinton High School from Clinton City Schools in the mid 1920's, a new CHS was completed here . . . Map (db m215003) HM
3 Tennessee, Anderson County, Clinton — Green McAdoo School1935
A segregated elementary school for African American children existed on this hill since at least 1895. A wooden structure originally built here was replaced in 1935 by the current brick building. The school was renamed to honor Green L. McAdoo . . . Map (db m214990) HM
4 Tennessee, Anderson County, Clinton — Prelude: The Green McAdoo School
Freedman's Hill, or Foley Hill as it came to be known, has long been an educational site for the African American community, whether in the schoolhouse built by the Freedman's Bureau after the Civil War, later destroyed by fire, or the churches of . . . Map (db m70646) HM
5 Tennessee, Anderson County, Clinton — ID 49 — The Rev. Paul W. Turner1923~1980
Upset by segregationists who intimidated 12 African American pupils at Clinton High School who refused to return to classes, the Reverend Paul Turner, pastor of Clinton's First Baptist Church, met with the pupils on December 4. 1956, when he and two . . . Map (db m220585) HM
6 Tennessee, Benton County, Holladay — Fort JohnsonControlling the Tennessee River
Take Exit 133, State Route 191, and drive north to visit two state parks associated with the struggle to control the Tennessee River during the Civil War. In 1861, the Confederates built Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River and Fort Henry . . . Map (db m96639) HM
7 Tennessee, Bledsoe County, Pikeville — Pikeville African Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchSoutheast Tennessee Religious Heritage Trail
The Pikeville AME Zion Church is the oldest African-American church still operating in Bledsoe County. The core of the church building dates from about 1870 when it served as the Freedmen's Bureau school. The AME Zion congregation's use of the . . . Map (db m184534) HM
8 Tennessee, Blount County, Alcoa — Charles M. Hall School
Alcoa schools for black citizens played a vital role in the growth and development of Alcoa. From 1916 to 1926, classes were held in one-room buildings and on the top floor of the Commercial Building. The first building on this site was completed . . . Map (db m195398) HM
Paid Advertisement
9 Tennessee, Blount County, Alcoa — 1E 120 — Hunt Field
Hunt Field was the home of the Maryville-Alcoa Twins baseball team that won the 1953 Class-D Mountain States League Pennant. This 1,750-seat ballpark, built in the 1940s, averaged an attendance of about 1,550 for 62 home games. Major league . . . Map (db m195413) HM
10 Tennessee, Blount County, Alcoa — The Hall Community
The Hall community, earlier known as Peniel, then Walnut Hill, was established in 1916 when the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) built 137 two- and three-room homes for African American workers who had been recruited and hired to build the local . . . Map (db m195401) HM
11 Tennessee, Blount County, Maryville — Maryville During the Civil War"A shameful...fire"
During the antebellum period, Blount County supported abolitionism. In 1822, local Quakers and other residents formed an abolitionist society, and in the decades following, local clergymen preached against the evils of slavery. When the county . . . Map (db m69452) HM
12 Tennessee, Blount County, Maryville — 1E 109 — William Bennett Scott, Sr.ca. 1821 - 1885
William B. Scott, Sr., a free Black, migrated to East Tennessee in 1847 after increased racial tension in North Carolina. He made harnesses and saddles in Blount County’s Quaker community of Friendsville until the Civil War. In Knoxville, during . . . Map (db m107600) HM
13 Tennessee, Bradley County, Cleveland — 2A 101 — College Hill School1883-1966
On this site in 1883, the first local school building for African-Americans was erected. In 1890, the school awarded four diplomas at its first commencement. The wooden building was razed in 1924, and a new brick structure was built to house grades . . . Map (db m153738) HM
14 Tennessee, Campbell County, LaFollette — Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong1909-2003
Growing up in LaFollette, Howard Armstrong's love of music developed early. His talents as an artist led to a legendary 80 year career as a singer, painter, and musician. In 1990, Howard was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship, and named a Master . . . Map (db m130949) HM
15 Tennessee, Campbell County, LaFollette — Howard "Louie Bluie" ArmstrongTennessee Music Pathways
A keeper of the African American string-band tradition, Howard Armstrong was a multi-instrumentalist with a very extensive repertoire. He was also a multilinguist, painter, and teller of folk tales and anecdotes drawn from his long life and career. . . . Map (db m233100) HM
16 Tennessee, Carroll County, McKenzie — 4A 43 — Webb School
Originally founded in 1923 as the black "County Training School" at Smyrna, Tennessee. It was moved to McKenzie in 1927, and named "Webb High School" in honor of John L. Webb. With over 1900 alumni, this school, under the leadership of J. L. Seets . . . Map (db m52177) HM
17 Tennessee, Carroll County, McLemoresville — 4A 58 — Reedy Creek Missionary Baptist Church
Formerly enslaved, the Reverend Levi Price and his wife Lizzie Price were members of the original church. The Reverend Levi Price served as the first pastor of Reedy Creek Missionary Baptist Church, the only African American Church in the area. On . . . Map (db m130428) HM
Paid Advertisement
18 Tennessee, Carter County, Elizabethton — 28 — Betsy Walkway — Elizabethton Walking Tour —
This walkway now exists where once the Grand Theater, the first theater in Elizabethton, stood. The theater had a balcony for blacks only, but legend has it that sometimes white men snuck up the stairs to join them and smoke cigars.Map (db m192802) HM
19 Tennessee, Carter County, Elizabethton — 1A 119 — Cedar Grove Cemetery
Cedar Grove Cemetery was originally established as a "colored cemetery" in the early nineteenth century on a tract of land adjacent to a trail that became known as Gap Creek Road. The remote and rocky terrain often required the use of dynamite to . . . Map (db m81370) HM
20 Tennessee, Carter County, Elizabethton — 1A 148 — Elizabethton Blue Grays1935-1955
This independent semi-professional barnstorming Negro baseball team consisted of young men from Elizabethton, Johnson City, Kingsport, Greeneville, Middle Tennessee, Kentucky, Bristol, and Martinsville, Virginia. Because of segregation, their . . . Map (db m157901) HM
21 Tennessee, Carter County, Elizabethton — The Taylor FamilySabine Hill State Historic Site
"Happy Valley" and Sabine Hill (1778-1853) In 1778, during the Revolutionary War, Andrew Taylor traveled from Virginia to what would later become eastern Tennessee. Taylor settled near this location on the Powder Branch of Buffalo . . . Map (db m174640) HM
22 Tennessee, Carter County, Johnson City — Gandy Dancers
"Gandy dancer" is a term that came to be used for the laborers who built and maintained railroad tracks prior to the mechanization of most of those tasks. The origin of the term is uncertain, although some suggest that it referred to the movement . . . Map (db m184189) HM
23 Tennessee, Cheatham County, Ashland City — 3C 76 — Old Neptune School1885-1951
In 1885 J.T. Mosely deeded this property for use as a school or church for African Americans in the Neptune Community. To enhance the quality of public education for African Americans in rural Cheatham County, school officials built Neptune School . . . Map (db m151795) HM
24 Tennessee, Cheatham County, Kingston Springs — Connection To JohnsonvilleU.S. Military Railroad
In November 1863, Federal troops occupied Kingston Springs to serve as headquarters for the supervisors of the U.S. Military Railroad Construction Corps. They oversaw the construction of this section of the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad. When . . . Map (db m69365) HM
25 Tennessee, Cheatham County, Kingston Springs — Trail HeadSite CH155 — Kingston Springs City Park —
Prior to the Civil War, a rail line ran from Nashville to Kingston Springs. After the federal seizure of Nashville in 1862, work began to extend the line westward from Kingston Springs to Johnsonville, providing another supply line for the . . . Map (db m205515) HM
26 Tennessee, Clay County, Celina — 2D 31 — Free Hill(s) Community
Free Hill(s), a historic Black community, was established northeast of Celina before the Civil War by former slaves of Virginia Hill. Hill brought her slaves from North Carolina to then Overton County, purchased 2,000 hilly and rough acres, settled . . . Map (db m74274) HM
Paid Advertisement
27 Tennessee, Cocke County, Parrottsville — Johnson's Parrottsville SlavesOrigin of Tennessee Emancipation Day
In 1842, state senator Andrew Johnson, a resident of neighboring Greene County, purchased his first slave here in Parrottsville. Her name was Dolly, and she was fourteen. Her son claimed that she approached Johnson and asked him to buy her because . . . Map (db m92476) HM
28 Tennessee, Coffee County, Tullahoma — Tullahoma CampaignJune 24-July 4, 1863 — From Contraband to United States Colored Troops —
No sooner did the North begin its invasion than slaves fled to Union lines seeking freedom. This presented problems for military commanders and President Lincoln. The political aims of the war did not initially include emancipation. Before Lincoln’s . . . Map (db m75324) HM
29 Tennessee, Davidson County, Antioch — 207 — Alfred Z. Kelley
Nashville barber Alfred Z. Kelley was lead plaintiff in Kelley v. Board of Education, a federal lawsuit filed Sept. 23. 1955, on behalf of his son Robert and 20 other African American children. In December, the suit was amended to include two . . . Map (db m146420) HM
30 Tennessee, Davidson County, Antioch — 209 — Olive Branch Missionary Baptist Church
In 1871, District 6 school commissioners John Briley, Benjiah Gray and Jason Austin bought one acre of land from James Thompson for an African American school. In 1873, African American members of the Benevolent Society of Olive Branch No. 38 . . . Map (db m147704) HM
31 Tennessee, Davidson County, Brentwood, Antioch — 238 — Racial Terror Lynchings in America / Lynching of Samuel Smith Reported missing
Racial Terror Lynchings in America Thousands of African American men, women, and children were the victims of lynching and racial terror violence in the United States in the century following the end of the Civil War. As the federal . . . Map (db m220683) HM
32 Tennessee, Davidson County, Donelson, Hermitage — Slave Cabins, c. 1858[Clover Bottom Farm]
Until the coming of Phillips [overseer at Clover Bottom] in the spring of 1858, the colored people lived in cabins and houses promiscuously scattered about the place. Entertainments like quilting bees and dances, where people . . . Map (db m147635) HM
33 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — "Have the Negro Houses Placed Where the Old Ones Stands"
When Jackson's plantation turned a profit in the 1820s, he invested it in slaves and buildings. Letters sent from Jackson to Andrew Jackson Jr. and his overseer in 1829 show that brick was being made for new buildings. In September 1829, Andrew . . . Map (db m85383) HM
34 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — A home for Jackson’s Slaves1821-1865
Andrew Jackson arrived at the Hermitage in 1804 with nine slaves. By 1821, that number had risen to fifty. In 1823, Jackson brought another thirty enslaved African Americans here from his recently sold Alabama plantation. Faced with pressing . . . Map (db m81405) HM
35 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — A Landscape Of InequalityEnslaved Life at The Hermitage
The idyllic planter’s life presented to white visitors by the Jackson family was based on the unpaid labor of over 150 enslaved black men, women, and children. Without the grueling labor of these individuals, the Jackson family could not have lived . . . Map (db m52407) HM
Paid Advertisement
36 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — A Lively PlaceFinding Strength in Family and Community
For nearly thirty years – from the construction of the brick dwellings in 1829 to the sale of this parcel of land in 1856 – the Field Quarter was home to at least eight enslaved families at The Hermitage. With fifty to eighty . . . Map (db m85429) HM
37 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Abandonment and PreservationStories Lost, Then Found Again
In the years after Andrew Jackson’s death, the Jackson’s financial situation changed for the worse. The log farmhouse/slave cabin slowly fell into ruin. In 1889, the state of Tennessee entrusted the property to the Ladies’ Hermitage Association. . . . Map (db m81406) HM
38 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Alfred’s CabinA Life of Toil
While the bold and dramatic claim center stage, history is also written in the quite, humble ways...and lives. Alfred Jackson was unique among the enslaved at The Hermitage. Born at The Hermitage to Betty, the cook, and Ned, the carpenter, Alfred . . . Map (db m81407) HM
39 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Determined ResistanceFighting for Freedom
In spite of the threat of violence, the men, women, and children who Andrew Jackson held in bondage still found ways to fight against the injustice and inhumanity of slavery. There were several instances of slaves running away. Jackson family . . . Map (db m85475) HM
40 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Field Quarter Trail
This path leads to the Field Quarter, an area that was once home to at least eighty enslaved African-Americans. A series of illustrated signs near exposed building foundations at the site help you to “see” what life was like for this . . . Map (db m81410) HM
41 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Field Quarter Trail
This path leads to the Field Quarter, an area that was once home to at least eighty enslaved African-Americans. A series of illustrated signs near exposed building foundations at the site help you to "see" what life was like for this part of the . . . Map (db m85379) HM
42 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Ginning and Pressing "King Cotton"Wealth Created by Enslaved Hands
Andrew Jackson built a cotton gin and press at The Hermitage in 1807, both of which stood in the field in front of you. It was a shrewd decision on Jackson's part, not only making his plantation more self-sufficient, but also generating additional . . . Map (db m85479) HM
43 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Growing CottonA Risky Venture
Andrew Jackson called it his farm, but in reality, The Hermitage was a large cotton plantation dependent upon enslaved labor. All the agricultural activities on Jackson’s 1000 – acre plantation supported his cotton. On average, Jackson’s . . . Map (db m81422) HM
44 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Our Peace: Follow the Drinking GourdMemorial to the Enslaved
In 2006, archaeologists discovered a slave cemetery at the site of a new subdivision on the former Ingleside plantation that once adjoined The Hermitage. This cemetery likely held the remains of the enslaved from not only Ingleside, but also . . . Map (db m182548) HM
Paid Advertisement
45 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Property, Family, Humanity
For the Jackson family, the enslaved were property and the foundation of their wealth. The monetary value of the enslaved far exceeded the combined worth of the Hermitage land, mansion and other improvements. Andrew Jackson himself had no . . . Map (db m52412) HM
46 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — Stories Told by Things the Enslaved Left Behind
Artifacts found during excavations of the Field Quarter have much to say about daily life within the Hermitage enslaved community. Animal bones tell us a great deal about diet. Buttons and sewing equipment provide details about clothing. Marbles, . . . Map (db m85445) HM
47 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Field QuarterLives of Labor
In 1806, Andrew Jackson purchased 640 acres north of the first Hermitage and in turn used this land mostly for field crops such as cotton and corn. Jackson chose this portion of that land to build dwellings for his field slaves because of its . . . Map (db m85432) HM
48 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Field Quarter SpringNourishing Body and Spirit
Known as “Muddy Spring” in Andrew Jackson's time, this fast flowing spring was the primary source of water for the fifty to eighty enslaved men, women, and children who lived in the nearby Field Quarter. Along with its life-sustaining . . . Map (db m85382) HM
49 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The First HermitageWorlds Apart, Side by Side
These log buildings tell a remarkable American story unlike any other. From 1804 to 1821, as a two-story farmhouse and kitchen outbuilding, the First Hermitage housed future United States President Andrew Jackson and his family. Here, Jackson lived . . . Map (db m52420) HM
50 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Hermitage GardenAn Ever Changing Delight
As with all living things, the Hermitage Garden cannot be wholly defined by any particular moment in time. Gardens grow and change. Few records tell us about the appearance of the garden Andrew Jackson enjoyed. Jackson hired gardener William Frost . . . Map (db m85370) HM
51 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Hermitage Landscape1804-1821
At a time when limited resources led to smaller dwellings, the distinctions between indoor and outdoor life blurred. When Jackson lived in the log farmhouse, this area buzzed with dawn-to dusk activity, sounds and smells. Cramped housing for white . . . Map (db m81426) HM
52 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Hermitage LandscapeFrontier Farm to Cotton Plantation to Shrine
At first glance, The Hermitage Landscape may seem largely untouched by time. Look more closely, however, and discover the changes brought by over 200 years of labor...living...and a changing America. White Americans and their slaves first . . . Map (db m85360) HM
53 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Hermitage MansionSymbol of Democracy?
Elegant as it is, The Hermitage Mansion is also a prime example that, indeed, beauty sometimes does lie “in the eye of the beholder.” Andrew Jackson's visitors got their first good look at his home as they rounded the graceful curves of . . . Map (db m85366) HM
Paid Advertisement
54 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Hermitage OverseerBetween Two Worlds
As was common at large plantations, Jackson hired a white overseer on an annual contract to supervise farm operations, particularly the lives and work of the enslaved. The overseer's contract began on January 1, after the previous year's crop had . . . Map (db m85477) HM
55 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Jacksons and ReligionReflection of the Times
At a time when America was growing in more than material ways, the Jacksons, too, were touched by matters spiritual. In the early 1800s, the stresses of a young nation on the move to new political, geographic, and economic areas produced rapid . . . Map (db m182530) HM
56 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The TriplexReclaiming the Past
Rarely do facts alone uncover the past. Scholarship, judgment, and analysis all have roles in interpreting evidence, and hints, of long-ago lives. So it is with these stones marking the location of a building that Hermitage archaeologists have named . . . Map (db m52410) HM
57 Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage — The Work YardThe World Behind the Mansion
The stately trees and park-like grounds of today’s Hermitage bear scant resemblance to the working plantation of Andrew Jackson’s time. As the farm developed, trees were cleared to make room for fields and pastures. By the time the first . . . Map (db m52408) HM
58 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — Coach Ed TempleTigerbelles Head Coach 1950-1994 — U.S. Olympic Coach 1960, 1964, 1980 —
"In looking over my 44 years as coach, I know that we accomplished monumental things at TSU and the Olympics. This Plaza stands as a witness to those deserving student athletes who helped to make the tradition." Coach Ed Temple Tigerbelles . . . Map (db m209505) HM
59 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — In 1865[Belle Meade Farm Freedom] — Belle Meade Plantation — Reported permanently removed
In 1865 one hundred thirty six (136) enslaved men, women, and children at Belle Meade Farm gained their freedom. With this freedom they gained the right to choose where they would live and work. Seventy-two (72) farm workers continued under the . . . Map (db m68986) HM
60 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — 3A 156 — Juno Frankie Pierce
J. Frankie Pierce was born during or shortly after the Civil War. In 1921, she founded the Tennessee Vocational School for Colored Girls and served as its first superintendent until 1939. The founding of this school was aided by the Negro . . . Map (db m166306) HM
61 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — Kitchen Garden History
Early Tennessee settlers did not have access to year-round fresh produce like we do today. General stores were often miles away and sold dried goods and seeds for growing your own food in kitchen gardens like this. Common plants were onions, . . . Map (db m205314) HM
62 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — 99 — Lake Providence Community
Soon after the Civil War, freed slave families established farms and dairies in this community named for Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church. The church was founded in 1868 by Rev. Larry A. Thompson, a traveling missionary. The first church . . . Map (db m147128) HM
Paid Advertisement
63 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — Slave BurialsBelle Meade Plantation
Due to the lack of records kept by slave owners, including those at Belle Meade, it is often difficult to piece together the full story of the daily lives and experiences of enslaved individuals. In particular, and particularly disheartening, is . . . Map (db m158289) HM
64 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — Slave CabinBelle Meade Plantation
In 1865 one hundred thirty six (136) enslaved men, women, and children at Belle Meade Farm gained their freedom. With this freedom they gained the right to choose where they would live and work. Seventy-two (72) farm workers continued under . . . Map (db m158315) HM
65 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — 3A 124 — Tennessee State University
Established in 1912 for the education of Negro citizens, Tennessee State University merged with UT-Nashville in 1979 and has become a major comprehensive urban university. Development from normal school to university progressed as follows: Tenn. A & . . . Map (db m5512) HM
66 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — 69 — Tennessee State University
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes first opened its doors to 247 students in 1912. This site gave birth to a new era of public higher education for African Americans in the state of Tennessee, with emphasis on . . . Map (db m182179) HM
67 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — The Caldwell YearsTennessee Agricultural Museum
Rogers Caldwell, "the J.P. Morgan of the South,” purchased the acreage that would later become the Ellington Agricultural Center from descendants of the Ewing family. Caldwell was a Nashville native who established Caldwell and Company in 1917, . . . Map (db m205343) HM
68 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville — The Natchez TraceBelle Meade Plantation
In 1742 a European settler recorded his travel and the conditions of the path which was known as the Natchez Trace. This is the earliest known recording of the trace, a portion of which was located on the site of Belle Meade Plantation. The trace, . . . Map (db m81472) HM
69 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Arts District — 3A 223 — Nashville Sit-Ins
On 13 February 1960, 124 students from Nashville's Historically Black Colleges and Universities walked into Woolworth's, Kress, and McClellan's, sat down at the lunch counters and asked to be served to no avail. The students also targeted Walgreens, . . . Map (db m219765) HM
70 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Arts District — 3A 139 — Sarah Estell
Sarah Estell, a free black woman in the slavery era, ran an ice cream parlor and sweet shop near here. She overcame the many hurdles faced by free persons of color, and her venture thrived. Her catering firm met the banquet needs of the city's . . . Map (db m81470) HM
71 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Belle Meade Links — In 1807[Harding Cabin] — Belle Meade Plantation —
In 1807 John Harding purchased 250 acres of land on the “east side of the Richland Creek including Dunham's Old Station”, and added a second room to the cabin for his growing family. The farm was strategically located on the Chickasaw Trail, . . . Map (db m158279) HM
Paid Advertisement
72 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Chestnut Hill — 3A 123 — Hubbard House
Built about 1921 from donations of Meharry Medical College alumni and trustees, Hubbard House served as the retirement home of Dr. George W. Hubbard, a founder and head of Meharry for 44 years. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places due . . . Map (db m147543) HM
73 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Chestnut Hill — 3A 184 — Lieutenant Henry Alvin Cameron 1875-1918 / Cameron School
Lieutenant Henry Alvin Cameron (1875-1918). Henry A. Cameron was born on February 4, 1875 to Walter and Jane Bentley Cameron. He attended Pearl Grammar School and completed the eighth grade in 1889. During the academic years of 1905 and 1906, . . . Map (db m166378) HM
74 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, College Heights/Clifton — 3A 177 — Preston TaylorMinister, Entrepreneur, and Business Leader — 1849-1931 —
(side 1) Preston Taylor was born a slave on November 7, 1849 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He served as a drummer boy in the Union Army during the siege of Richmond, Virginia. After the Civil War, he secured a contract to build several . . . Map (db m166305) HM
75 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Crieve Hall — Battle of Nashville / Peach Orchard Hill
Battle of Nashville December 15-16, 1864 Following the bloody November 30, 1864 battle at Franklin, Union and Confederate forces met here, in Nashville, in the last major engagement of the Civil War in the West. Led by General John Bell Hood, . . . Map (db m215671) HM
76 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — African Methodist Episcopal Church Sunday School Union
One of the last remaining buildings on the Square, 206 Public Square was home to the African Methodist Episcopal Church Sunday School Union beginning in 1886, when Rev. Charles S. Smith purchased the building. The A.M.E. Sunday School Union, . . . Map (db m206241) HM
77 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — 3A 180 — Avon N. Williams, Jr.1921-1994
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Avon N. Williams, Jr., was an attorney, statewide civil rights leader, politician, educator, and a founder of the Davidson County Independent Political Council and the Tennessee Voters Council. In 1950, as a . . . Map (db m147486) HM
78 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — 83 — Black Churches of Capitol Hill
1. First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill (1848) 2. Gay Street Christian Church (1859) 3. Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church (1887) 4. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (1898) 5. St. John AME Church (1863) 6. Spruce Street Baptist Church (1848) These . . . Map (db m147484) HM
79 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Jeffrey Lockelier
Jeffrey Lockelier, a free man of color, worked at the Courthouse following a military career in Jackson's army. "Major Jeffrey" called Nashville home for twenty years. His 1830 obituary eulogized him as one "who bestowed his best days to the service . . . Map (db m206232) HM
80 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — 232 — John Robert LewisFeb. 21, 1940 - July 17, 2020
John Robert Lewis was born on Feb. 21, 1940 to sharecropper parents in Troy, Ala. He entered Nashville's American Baptist Theological Seminary in 1957 and soon began attending non-violence workshops at Clark Memorial Methodist Church with the . . . Map (db m177650) HM
Paid Advertisement
81 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Lynching in America / The Lynchings of Henry and Ephraim GrizzardCommunity Remembrance Project
Lynching in America Thousands of African Americans were the victims of lynchings and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. After the Civil War, violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of . . . Map (db m147760) HM
82 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — 87 — Nashville Sit-Ins
Formerly located at his site was First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill, headquarters of the 1960s Sit-In Movement, led by Rev. Kelly Miller Smith. Strategy sessions, non-violence workshops, mass meetings, victory celebrations, and administrative . . . Map (db m74333) HM
83 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Post-Emancipation Violence in America / Lynching and the Subversion of Legal RightsCommunity Remembrance Project
Post-Emancipation Violence in America After the Confederacy's defeat, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution ended slavery and guaranteed newly emancipated black people constitutional rights of citizenship. Reconstruction . . . Map (db m147755) HM
84 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — 210 — Rev. Nelson G. Merry"Nashville's First Ordained African American Minister" — 1824-1884 —
The Reverend Nelson G. Merry, born enslaved in 1824 in Kentucky, was brought to Tennessee by his master. At age 16, Merry's widowed mistress willed him to the First Baptist Church. He was freed in 1845. Merry preached to the "colored" mission of . . . Map (db m147482) HM
85 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Robert "Black Bob" Renfro
Robert "Black Bob" Benfro was a slave given permission to sell "Liquor and Victuals" by the county court in 1794. He was emancipated in 1801 and purchased and maintained an inn and livery stable on the north side of the Public Square, where he . . . Map (db m206243) HM
86 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Welcome to Frankie Pierce Park
Juno Frankie (Seay) Pierce was born in Nashville near the end or just after the Civil War. Pierce was educated at the Joseph G. McKee Freedman School, the first free African American school in Nashville, and at Roger Williams College, one of four . . . Map (db m213293) HM
87 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Welcome to Frankie Pierce Park
Juno Frankie (Seay) Pierce was born in Nashville near the end or just after the Civil War. Pierce was educated at the Joseph G. McKee Freedman School, the first free African American school in Nashville, and at Roger Williams College, one of four . . . Map (db m214513) HM
88 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Downtown — Witness WallsWalter Hood — 2017 —
Witness Walls is a public artwork inspired by the events and the people who made history here in Nashville during the modern Civil Rights Movement. Following the desegregation of Nashville's public schools in 1957, it was students at the city's . . . Map (db m206249) HM
89 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, East Nashville — 124 — First Baptist ChurchEast Nashville
Founded in 1866 under the direction of Rev. Randall B. Vandavall, First Baptist Church East Nashville built this Classical Revival building between 1928 and 1931, during the height of Rev. W.S. Ellingson's career. Nashville artist Francis Euphemia . . . Map (db m145790) HM
90 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, East Nashville — 3A 188 — Meigs SchoolThe First African American High School in Nashville
Named in honor of James L. Meigs, Nashville's second superintendent of public school. Meigs was established in 1883 as an elementary school for African-American students. An African American, Robert S. White, served as its first principal. Since . . . Map (db m175905) HM
91 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, East Nashville — 180 — Rock City
Rock City was an African American community established c. 1881, which was soon followed by the founding of First Baptist Church Rock City. Named for a rock quarry in the area, the approx. boundaries were Cahal Ave. to the south, Branch St. to the . . . Map (db m147714) HM
92 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Edgehill — 3A 138 — DeFord Bailey1899-1982
Bailey, a pioneer of the Grand Old Opry and its first black musician, lived in the Edgehill neighborhood for nearly 60 years. His shoe-shine shop was on 12th Ave., South, near this intersection. His harmonica performance of the "Pan American Blues" . . . Map (db m74369) HM
93 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Edgehill — 68 — Edmondson Home Site
Will Edmondson, born about 1883 of former slave parents in the Hillsboro area of Davidson County, worked as a railroad and hospital laborer until 1931, when he began his primitive limestone carvings. Working without formal training, he produced . . . Map (db m147165) HM
94 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Edgehill — 227 — History of Edgehill
Edgehill's history dates from the decades before the Civil War, when country estates were located on and around Meridian Hill, now E.S. Rose Park. The construction and defense of Union fortifications during the Civil War drew many African Americans . . . Map (db m162478) HM
95 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Edgehill — 3A 245 — William Edmondson Studio and Home Site
On this site, William Edmonson (1874-1951) created renowned limestone sculptures in an open-air studio next to his home. In 1937 he became the first African American to earn a solo show at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Born in rural Davidson . . . Map (db m162450) HM
96 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, Fang — 3A 122 — Academic Building At Fisk University
The Academic Building at Fisk University was designed by Nashville architect Moses McKissack and was made possible by a gift from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. On May 22, 1908, William H. Taft, later 27th President of the United States, laid the . . . Map (db m4511) HM
97 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, FANG — 3A 136 — Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery
This building, completed in 1889, was the first gymnasium built at any predominantly black college in the United States. In 1949, it was rededicated as an art gallery and named in honor of Carl Van Vechten, a New York music critic, author, . . . Map (db m4507) HM
98 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, FANG — 213 — Clark Memorial United Methodist Church
Founded in South Nashville in 1865, Clark Memorial moved to North Nashville in 1936 and to this location in 1945. The church was central to the Civil Rights movement in Nashville, with activist James M. Lawson conducting classes here in 1959 on . . . Map (db m147778) HM
99 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, FANG — 3A 154 — Cravath Hall
This neo-Gothic structure first served as the Erastus M. Cravath Memorial Library. Named for Cravath, the university's first president (1875-1900), it was designed by Nashville architect Henry Hibbs and built in 1929-30. The interior walls depict . . . Map (db m4502) HM
100 Tennessee, Davidson County, Nashville, FANG — 3A 142 — Ella Sheppard (Moore)1851 - 1914
Ella Sheppard, an original Fisk Jubilee Singer, lecturer and teacher, was born on February 4, 1851. She entered Fisk in 1868, and was selected to join the group of nine singers that set out on October 6, 1871 to raise funds to save the school. She . . . Map (db m62508) HM

756 entries matched your criteria. The first 100 are listed above. Next 100 ⊳
 
 
CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024