Follow
Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville is the county seat of Davidson County and is the state capital.
Named for Francis Nash, a general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, the city was founded in 1779. The city grew quickly due to its strategic location as a port on the Cumberland River and, in the 19th century, a railroad center. Nashville seceded with Tennessee during the American Civil War; in 1862 it was the first state capital in the Confederacy to fall to Union troops. After the war, the city reclaimed its position and developed a manufacturing base.
Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government, which includes six smaller municipalities in a two-tier system. The city is governed by a mayor, a vice-mayor, and a 40-member metropolitan council; 35 of the members are elected from single-member districts, while the other five are elected at-large. Reflecting the city's position in state government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Court's courthouse for Middle Tennessee, one of the state's three divisions.
A major center for the music industry, especially country music, Nashville is commonly known as "Music City". It is also home to numerous colleges and universities, including Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Fisk University, Trevecca Nazarene University, and Lipscomb University, and is sometimes referred to as "Athens of the South" due to the large number of educational institutions. Nashville is also a major center for the healthcare, publishing, banking, automotive, technology, and transportation industries. Entities with headquarters in the city include AllianceBernstein, Asurion, Bridgestone Americas, Captain D's, Hospital Corporation of America, LifeWay Christian Resources, Logan's Roadhouse, and Ryman Hospitality Properties.
Historical Timeline
Prior to 19th Century
1780 - Fort Nashborough established; Cumberland Compact signed; Cumberland Association formed
1784 – Nashville established 1785 – Davidson Academy incorporated 1796 – Settlement becomes part of the state of Tennessee. 1797 – Tennessee Gazette and Mero District Advertiser newspaper begins publication
19th Century
1806 - Town incorporated; Joseph Coleman becomes mayor 1812 – Tennessee General Assembly relocates to Nashville from Knoxville 1813 – Nashville Library Co., Inc. established 1817 – Tennessee General Assembly relocates from Nashville to Knoxville 1818 - Earl's Nashville Museum opens 1822 – Nashville City Cemetery established 1825 – Decker & Dyer Reading Room established 1826 – Tennessee General Assembly relocates to Nashville from Murfreesboro 1831 – Tennessee State Penitentiary built 1833 – Water-works established 1835 – Tennessee Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge organized 1837 – House of Industry for Females established 1841 – Mechanics' Library Association formed 1842 – Burns & Co. in business 1843 – Nashville becomes capital of Tennessee 1844 – Tennessee School for the Blind and Mechanics Institute and Library Association established 1845 – Protestant Orphan Asylum established 1849 – Merchants' Library and Reading Room and Tennessee Historical Society founded 1850 - June: Nashville Convention held; Suspension bridge built over the Cumberland River 1851 – Nashville Gas Light Company in operation 1852 - Public school system inaugurated; Davidson County Jail built 1854 - Southern Methodist Publishing House headquartered in Nashville; Tennessee State Library established 1855 – Giers photo studio in business 1857 – Davidson County Court House rebuilt 1858 – City Workhouse built 1859 - Tennessee State Capitol and draw-bridge built; Louisville and Nashville Railroad begins operating 1862 - City under Union control; Fort Negley built 1863 – St. Mary's Catholic Orphan Asylum founded 1864 – December 15–16: Battle of Nashville 1865 – Fisk Free Colored School, Ward Seminary for Young Ladies, and Earhart's Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College established 1866 – Central Tennessee College founded 1867 - Montgomery Bell Academy opens; Nashville Lyceum Association incorporated 1869 – Howard Chapel built 1870 - Sulphur Dell ballpark opens 1871 - Tennessee and Pacific Railroad (Lebanon-Nashville) begins operating; Fisk University Jubilee Singers, Library Association, and Nashville Saddlery Company established 1873 – Vanderbilt University established 1876 – Nashville Banner newspaper begins publication 1884 – Nashville Athletic Club formed 1885 – Industrial School and Query Club (women's group) established 1889 - The Hermitage museum opens; Boscobel College for Young Ladies established; Peabody Normal College active 1891 – Nashville Bible School founded 1892 - March 17: St. Patrick's Day Snowstorm dumps 17 inches of snow on the city; Union Gospel Tabernacle built; Maxwell House coffee introduced 1894 - United Daughters of the Confederacy headquartered in Nashville 1897 – Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition held 1898 - Howard Library established; Tennessee State Penitentiary rebuilt 1900 - Meharry Medical College active; Polk Place demolished
20th Century
1904 – Carnegie Library opens 1905 – Centennial Club (women's group) active 1906 - Tennessee State Fair begins; Nashville Globe newspaper begins publication 1907 – Nashville Tennessean newspaper in publication 1909 – Sparkman Street Bridge opens 1910 - Nashville Art Association chartered; Hermitage Hotel in business; Advance Publishing Company incorporated 1912 - Urban League branch established 1916 – Nashville Housewives League organized 1918 - July 9: Great Train Wreck of 1918; 1918 influenza epidemic 1922 - Nashville's first radio station, WDAA, signs on 1925 - War Memorial Auditorium dedicated; WSM radio and its Grand Ole Opry begin broadcasting; Belcourt Theatre built 1926 - WLAC radio begins broadcasting 1927 - Warner Parks open; WSIX radio begins broadcasting 1930 - First American National Bank formed 1931 - Nashville Children's Theatre established; Parthenon rebuilt 1936 – Berry Field (airport) dedicated 1937 – Tennessee State Museum established 1941 - W47NV radio licensed; Iroquois Steeplechase begins 1942 – Acuff-Rose Music and Harveys (department store) in business 1946 – Nashville Symphony founded 1950 - WSM-TV begins broadcasting 1951 - Ben West becomes mayor; The Harpeth Hall School opens 1952 - Tennessee Theatre opens 1953 – WSIX-TV begins broadcasting 1954 – WLAC-TV begins broadcasting 1955 - Brothers Owen and Harold Bradley establish Bradley's Film & Recording Studio 1957 - Life & Casualty Tower built; RCA Studios begins operation. lt become known as RCA Studio B 1960 - Nashville sit-ins for civil rights occur; Cheekwood Museum opens. 1961 – Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum established 1962 - WDCN-TV begins broadcasting; Nashville Municipal Auditorium opens 1963 - City consolidates its government with Davidson County; Metropolitan Council (Nashville) established; Beverly Briley becomes mayor 1964 - American Association for State and Local History headquartered in Nashville 1967 – 100 Oaks Mall in business near city 1968 – Third National Bank Building constructed 1972 - Fan Fair music festival begins; Opryland USA opens 1974 - Regions Center (Nashville) built; Grand Ole Opry House opens. 1975 – Richard Fulton becomes mayor 1978 - The Nashville Sounds minor-league baseball team plays its inaugural season 1980 - Tennessee Performing Arts Center opens 1981 – Nashville Opera Guild chartered 1982 - Foreign trade zone established; Bluebird Cafe opens 1983 - Nissan car manufactory begins operating in nearby Smyrna 1985 – Starwood Amphitheatre opens 1986 – Tennessee Players founded 1987 - Nashville Airport terminal built; Bill Boner becomes mayor 1988 – Nashville Shakespeare Festival and Nashville Pride begin 1989 - Nashville Scene begins publication; Prince's Hot Chicken Shack in business 1990 - Grassmere Wildlife Park established 1991 – Phil Bredesen becomes mayor 1994 - City website online; South Central Bell Building constructed; American Airlines begins nonstop service between London and Nashville 1996 - Bicentennial Mall State Park opens; Magdalene program for women, and Nashville Zoo at Grassmere established; Nashville Arena built 1998 - April 15–16: Tornado; The Tennessee OIlers football team plays its first Nashville games at Vanderbilt Stadium; Nashville Predators ice hockey team formed 1999 - Adelphia Coliseum opens; Bill Purcell becomes mayor; Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000 headquartered in city 2000 – The City Paper begins publication
21st Century
2001 - Tennessee Immigrant Rights Coalition headquartered in city; Frist Center for the Visual Arts established 2002 - Nashville Public Education Foundation established 2003 – Shelby Street pedestrian bridge opens 2006 - Schermerhorn Symphony Center opens; Viridian Tower built 2007 – Karl Dean becomes mayor 2008 – Nashville for All of Us (group) organized 2009 - Third Man Records in business; The Pinnacle at Symphony Place built; Music City Drum and Bugle Corps founded; Live on the Green begins 2010 - April–May: Flood 2011 - October: Occupy Nashville begins; Parnassus Books in business 2012 - March: Occupy Vanderbilt begins; MyCity Academy (government program) established 2013 – Music City Center opens 2015 - Construction begins on 505 skyscraper; Megan Barry becomes mayor 2020 - Tornado outbreak of March 2-3, 2020; The Nashville bombing occurs, injuring three people and causing major damage
Links
Country Music Hall of Fame & Muesum