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MHC News
The Call for Nominations for the 46th Annual Preservation Awards has been extended until Monday, March 7th, 2022. Please visit our website for detailed information on qualifying projects and nomination submission process.
Repairs continue at the historic Nashville City Cemetery. The stonework repair that a contractor has been hired to do has been delayed until the weather is milder, but the three sections of damaged iron fencing were recently repaired by Williamson and Sons Blacksmiths.
Staff reviewed the scope of work for an upcoming rehabilitation of the historic stonework at Fort Negley Park and an accompanying archaeological investigation, consulting with professional archaeologists and the Tennessee Division of Archaeology. With a recommendation from staff for approval with conditions, the scope was approved by the MHZC at their February 16th meeting. Metro Parks and The Tradesmen Group are finalizing the schedule and staging plan for the work to begin in March. The Fort Negley Master Plan project is moving from the data collection phase to the design phase. In addition to weekly planning meetings, staff has participated in site visits and a design charrette with the landscape architects from Hodgson Douglas Landscape Architects. The team will continue to meet with stakeholders as preliminary concepts form over the coming weeks.
As work moves ahead for Aaittafama’ Archeological Park, the design team has completed plans for the new park and are reaching out to contractors to get bids for construction. The first phase of construction will include an artful reconstruction of the palisade wall and signage along Hillsboro Road and Old Hickory Boulevard. The website for the park will also be redesigned and expanded. Staff have been involved in the development of these plans and other work for the site, including interpretive historical signage.
Staff recently met with NPR News Director Emily Siner to discuss the current Davidson County Cemetery Preservation Plan grant project and to tour one specific site in East Nashville. NPR ran a story about the project, which includes a separate audio piece. As a result of the story, we have received numerous public inquiries and information submissions regarding known and “lost” cemeteries, which we are adding to our survey list for the grant project. We submitted our application for Phase II funding from the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) in February and should hear back regarding an award decision this summer.
Staff have been working closely with Graham Perry (THC Cemetery Specialist) and historian Fletch Coke on a number of Davidson County cemetery inquiries and issues. We recently toured the Wheeler/Meades Chapel Cemetery in Antioch and the Vaughn’s Gap Cemetery in Percy Warner Park, the latter of which is suspected to hold roughly 240 graves, possibly of enslaved persons tied to Belle Meade Plantation. We have also been in discussion about the Alexander Ewing cemetery near Whites Creek, located on a parcel recently sold to a developer. Recent investigations by THC, Tennessee Department of Archaeology (TDOA), and a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) specialist indicate the likely presence of numerous other burials on the site, significantly more than had previously been identified and disclosed to the buyer. Staff visited the site in late February with THC and results are expected in the forthcoming GPR report.
MHZC News
The MHZC’s next public hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 16th at 2:00 p.m. at Sonny West Conference Center, Howard Office Building, 700 2nd Ave S. View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines on our website. Access archived videos of the MHZC meetings on the Metro YouTube channel anytime!
Staff members Melissa Baldock and Kelli Mitchell hosted a virtual version of the MHZC’s Contractors Training Class on February 24th. The hour-long class aimed to help contractors and applicants better understand MHZC’s permitting and inspection processes, common construction and material requirements, and how to avoid common violations. In the past, the class has proven useful in decreasing violations.
Staff is often requested to be guest speakers regarding local preservation. In March, Melissa Baldock will give a guest lecture (via Zoom) to a New York University undergraduate class, Case Studies in Historic Preservation. Baldock will discuss the ins and outs of how historic preservation is practiced in Nashville. This July, MHZC Zoning Administrator Robin Zeigler will be co-presenting with Phil Thomason of Thomason and Associates about the Second Ave bombing at the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) conference in Ohio. Zeigler will also be giving a legal webinar (free to NAPC members) with Associate Director of the Metro Legal Department, Lora Fox.
![[Official Seal of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County]](https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/fancy_images/TNNASH/2017/12/1699826/3896410/metro-seal-black-and-white_crop.png)
Staff have fielded numerous inquiries about historical markers, including for the North and East Branch libraries. These are in addition to the many privately-funded markers and MHC funded markers already in the works, including civil rights leader Rip Patton and updated text on existing markers for William Walker and Mrs. John Donelson. MHC is also working on a potential marker in Salemtown and potential markers for Germantown. The Woodmont School marker was installed in Woodmont Park on Estes Road in February, with a dedication ceremony planned for this spring.
The new Centennial Park Swimming Pool historical marker will be dedicated on Wednesday, March 23rd at 11:00 a.m. at the Centennial Art Center, 301 25th Avenue North. Behind the current art center building is a space that functioned as the former swimming pool location. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
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In honor of Women's History Month, "Saints or Monsters: Political Cartoons of the 19th Amendment" will be on display throughout the month of March at Hadley Park Branch Library. This collection is on loan from NPL's Votes for Women Room. Through the use of satire and caricature, editorial cartoons illustrate the political landscape and draw attention to the issues of the day. Educational, critical, and entertaining, the political cartoons in "Saints or Monsters" offer a window into history and show just how much was at stake for American women and our nation in the years leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
Be sure to also check out Metro Archives' recent blog by archivist Sarah Arntz, "Tales From the Crypt: Nashville City Cemetery Edition."
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Since its inception, Friends of Warner Parks has acquired nearly 500 acres of additional land for the Warner Parks, including the Burch Reserve and old growth Hill Forest. At the end of December, the group added 8 additional acres along Highway 100, not only expanding the boundaries of the Parks, but ensuring this land is protected.
On Saturday, March 26th from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Warner Parks Nature Center will host "Naturalist Workshop: You Can Build a Rain Garden." This free workshop will instruct you in the basics of plant selection and design and includes a hands-on rain garden construction project onsite. Join Hayley Henderson, Cumberland River Compact Outreach & Education Program Coordinator, to learn why and how rain gardens benefit water quality and conservation in our community. Registration opens March 12th.
Tuesdays this spring, Fort Negley Visitors Center will host the Nashville History Club for a free lecture series from local authors and historians. All sessions will be held from 1:00-2:30 p.m. The following sessions will be held in March:
March 8th: Tom Wood (author, historian and MHC Commissioner), "General Frank Andrews: Nashville’s Highest Ranking and Least Remembered World War II Hero"
March 15th: George Zepp (local historian and former journalist)
"Rugby: The English Colony atop the Cumberland Plateau"
March 22nd: Lynne Bachleda, "History of Warner Parks"
March 29th: Carole Bucy (Davidson County historian), Topic TBD
Other events at Fort Negley this month:
Fort Negley Fossil Finders--Saturday, March 12th at 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. Limited space available, please RSVP!
Nashville Civil War Roundtable--Tuesday, March 15th at 7:00 p.m. Author/historian Greg Biggs will present "Logistics for William T. Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign."
Fort Donelson Camp No. 62, Sons of Union Veterans (SUV)--Tuesday, March 22nd from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Business meeting begins at 6:00 pm with a scholarly presentation following. Programs are free and open to the public.
Join the staff of Fort Negley Park on Saturday, March 26th from 2:00-3:30 p.m. for a free guided walking tour! Learn about the site's rich history, from a tree-topped oasis outside early 19th century Nashville, to an imposing fortress guarding the Union stronghold, to restoration and neglect, and its recent addition to UNESCO sites of memory. All covered on a one-mile guided walking tour. Attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather. Limited space available, please RSVP!
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The Women’s Sports History driving tour on Nashville Sites launched on March 1st, right before the SEC women’s basketball tournament begins. Follow @nashvillesites on social media to see the sites featured on the tour! MTSU intern Valeria Eadler continues to work on the Germantown walking tour, and a Belmont honors student is working with staff and Drs. Mary Ellen Pethel (Belmont University) and Angela Sutton (Vanderbilt University) on an Edgehill walking tour. Both tours will launch this summer!
Image credit: Pat Summitt, center, is pictured in a team photograph during her freshman year at Cheatham County High School. Courtesy: Cheatham County Central High School/Special to the News Sentinel.
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Our deep gratitude goes out to everyone who provided assistance and support for the 2022 Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture, held on February 11th. This was the 41st year of the conference, presented in partnership with Tennessee State University, and drew over 170 attendees. Our theme of "Pioneers, Politics, and Preservation" brought forth intriguing new topics from seven local historians and educators while entertainers wowed participants with their talents in poetry and song. Additionally, the conference planning committee has donated funds for two scholarships for Tennessee History Day projects at the Junior and Senior levels which focus on African American history. If you missed this year's conference, please visit our new conference website to explore conference archives and to watch the full recording!
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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Centennial Park’s beloved Art Center. Nestled in the corner of the park at Park Plaza and 25th Avenue North, this hidden treasure is the home to Emma & Edwardo (two vibrantly colored mallards who frequent the center’s water feature), a botanical garden (sponsored by the Herb Society of Nashville), monthly art exhibits, art classes, pottery workshops, special events, and so much more! However, this historic facility has a storied past directly connected to Nashville’s civil rights movement. The site we’ve known since 1972 as Centennial Art Center (CAC), was once one of the largest swimming pools in Nashville and one of the flashpoints in the city’s struggle for equality.
Check out this conversation between Parks Director Monique Horton Odom and CAC Director Josh Wagner on the historical impact of the facility and why it’s important to remember the lessons and the people of the past.
The spring/summer celebration of the center’s 50th anniversary kicks off with the unveiling of a new MHC historical marker chronicling the building’s role in history and those who took a stand for equality. The unveiling of the marker is scheduled for March 23rd at 11:00 a.m. at CAC. A ceremonial event marking the official anniversary of the facility is scheduled for April 23rd at 6;00 p.m., and a variety of events from dance recitals to murals are slated throughout the summer. All events are free and open to the public.
Image credit: Centennial Park Pool in 1950. On file at MHC.
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Legendary Elliston Place music venue Exit/In features in a recent Rolling Stone article that includes image galleries and historical excerpts highlighting the establishment's storied past. Exit/in sits at the heart of a corridor deemed "The Rock Block" as detailed on an MHC historical marker placed by the building in 2020. The MHZC and Planning Commission recently recommended approval of an historical overlay for the property, which would provide protections from alteration or demolition, but the overlay recommendation must go through three readings by Metro Council before its implementation. A new coffee table book entitled Exit/In: Fifty Years and Counting, edited and curated by Stephen Thompson and written by Whit Stiles, showcases glossy images of the venue in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Current owners are working with MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation and state historian Dr. Carroll Van West to pursue the property's listing in the National Register of Historic Places, to be considered by the State Review Board later this year.
Image credit: Exit/In facade, sign, and west elevation. Courtesy: MHC.
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Metro Historical Commission Foundation Annual Fundraiser: "Roaring Back with Music and History at Fisk"--March 3
Tennessee Central Railway Museum--Mardi Gras Excursion--March 5
African American Historical & Genealogical Society Nashville--Webinar: Newspaper Research: Oh the Stories You Can Find!--March 5
Historic Travellers Rest--19th Sewing Kit Workshop--March 5; Fancy & Functional: A Decorative Arts Tour--March 26
National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week 2022 (virtual)--March 7-10
The Hermitage--Andrew Jackson’s 255th Birthday--March 15
Frist Art Museum--Frist at Home: Architecture--March 17
Two Rivers Mansion--Mystery Art League Fundraiser--March 25
Historic Travellers Rest--Fancy and Functional at Travellers Rest--March 26
Nashville Parthenon--ECHO: Orpheus Re-imagined by Duncan Dance South and Portara Ensemble--March 27
National Trust for Historic Preservation--Women Are Essential; Webinar: Historic Preservation Advocacy Requests in 2022--March 3; Brown v. Board: A Tale of 3 (Delaware) Schools--March 30
Tennessee State Museum--Women's History Month Tours--multiple dates
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens--Spanning the Atlantic: The Arts and Crafts Movement--thru April 10
Fort Negley Park--Tour: Soldiers for Freedom--April 8
The Hermitage--Sip of History--April 9
Two Rivers Mansion--Evening of Elegance Fundraiser--April 29
Buchanan Log House--2022 Family Festival & Arts & Crafts Fair--May 21
Historic Travellers Rest--Summer Camps 2022--May thru August
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