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MHC News
On Tuesday, November 5th a new historical marker was dedicated in honor of Nashville school desegregation leader Alfred Z. Kelley. The marker was placed at A. Z. Kelley Elementary School in Antioch. In attendance were Mayor Cooper and members of the Kelley family, who were former students of this school. Also in attendance were Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood, former District 31 CM Fabian Bedne, current District 31 CM John Rutherford, District 32 CM Joy Styles, and Register of Deeds Karen Y. Johnson. Funded by the Council Districts Marker Project, the marker was selected by Fabian Bedne during his time as Council member. Thank you to Metro Nashville Public Schools and A.Z. Kelley Elementary for a wonderful ceremony!
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 white children turned away from city schools. They lived in majority African American neighborhoods. Kelley sought compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown ruling. Tenn.’s longest desegregation case, it was settled in April 1998.
Fabian Bedne, Karen Y. Johnson, MHC Commissioners E. Menié Bell and Linda Wynn and MHC staff Caroline Eller. Credit: MHC.
A.Z. Kelley with members of his legal team from Kelley v. Board of Education, September 1955. Credit: Nashville Public Library Digital Collections.
MHZC news
The MHZC’s November public hearing will be on Wednesday, November 20th at 2:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Center/Metro Campus.
View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines here.
Aftter 18 months of development, Nashville Sites announces the launch of its free, mobile-friendly walking tours website, which will become publicly available on Thursday, November 14th! Their website offers more than twenty walking tours, each with its own distinct ‘theme’ (and title) such as “Seedy Side and Printers Alley” and “Early Black Life and Culture” and “Downtown Public Arts and Murals.” The project sponsors include: James Stephen Turner Family Foundation, Belmont University, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Humanities Tennessee, the Center for Digital Humanities, The DISTRICT Nashville, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, and PLA Media.
Through this platform, Nashville Sites aims to engage users through inspirational stories and images that connect the city’s past and present. Each tour stop features several images, image descriptions, a narrative, audio narration, and metadata information for citation and credibility purposes. However, the tours are much more than a narrative, a map, and pictures. Nashville Sites tours are SELF-GUIDED and THEMATICALLY-BASED. Users may customize their tour by starting or switching tours as they find sites and stories of interest. Audio narration and full-text are available as well as images and GPS navigation. They are also CREDIBLY CURATED, with curators ranging from the Davidson County Historian to PhD candidates. Viewable on a desktop, tablet, or other personal device, all tours are hosted on a MOBILE-FRIENDLY website, eliminating the need for the user to download a mobile application. Our platform is FREE: cost free and advertisement free. Users may also copy, change, and/or build upon Nashville Sites’ content at no cost as long as it is being used for non-commercial purposes and credits Nashville Sites.
Nashville Sites’ mission is to engage users through inspirational stories and images that connect the city’s past and present. The team aims to highlight the forgotten narratives of Nashville’s past. With tours focused on under-highlighted areas like Fort Negley, Nashville Sites welcomes the opportunity to re-define the city’s written history. These new narratives should be available to all, which is why all Nashville Sites resources are advertisement free, cost free, and available anywhere on any device. By making their resources easily accessible, the team hopes that the content will instill the passion for knowledge in their users.
Hastings Architecture will host a Nashville Sites Sponsor/Industry Professionals Launch Announcement on Friday, November 8th from 12:00-2:00 p.m. The free event will be held at Hastings offices, 225 Polk Avenue.
The Metro Historical Commission Foundation will host a benefit and fundraiser to help launch Nashville Sites on Thursday, November 14th from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at Historic Clementine, 4710 Charlotte Ave. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
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Fred Zahn, the resident cemetery specialist of the Metro Historic Zoning Commission staff, recently toured the Drake Family Graveyard in Northwest Nashville. Situated off Drakes Branch Road near Kings Lane, the cemetery dates to the mid 1800s. Until recently, the site had been maintained by a previous caretaker who has since passed away. Members of the Drake family, who do not currently own the property, contacted Fred seeking guidance on maintenance, growth clearing (i.e. honeysuckle) and headstone repairs. The cemetery boasts both wood and stone markers, some of which are uniquely anthropomorphic. James Robertson's granddaughter, Charlotte, is one of those buried here.
Fred advised the family about a new cemetery maintenance program through the Metro Historical Commission Foundation. Started by Fletch Coke, the program assists with rural cemetery preservation and maintenance. Dan Allen, a local archaeologist who specializes in cemetery repair work, is currently assisting with maintenance under this program. The Drake Cemetery is one of hundreds of rural cemeteries in Davidson County, many of which are unmarked, overgrown or endangered due to development.
Next week, keep a look out for Fred's Curious Nashville interview with NPR's Emily Siner about another burying ground near Hickory Hollow Parkway.
Entrance signage at the Drake Family Graveyard. Credit: MHC.
View of Drake Family Cemetery. Credit: MHC.
Simple wood headstone and footstone at Drake Family Cemetery. Credit: MHC.
Detail of anthropomorphic headstones at Drake Cemetery. Credit: MHC.
Setting near the Drake Family Graveyard. Credit: MHC.
The Tennessee Historical Society is seeking a part-time office assistant for the National History Day program. This paid position will run from November 2019 through April 2020 with a possible extension into May 2020. The assistant will aid with the planning and coordination of Tennessee History Day. Hours are flexible and class credit can be earned for currently enrolled students. Interested applicants should apply by Friday, November 15th. Contact Jennifer Core, State Coordinator for TN History Day, with any questions or to apply.
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Have a preservation-related event that you want us to include?
Send a message to Caroline.Eller@Nashville.gov.
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