NASHVILLE CITY CEMETERY
NW-50: NASHVILLE, DAVIDSON COUNTY, TN. 1001 4TH AVENUE NORTH
On March 9, 1820, the Mayor of Nashville and the Aldermen purchased from Richard Cross, four acres of land “on the plains, south of town, for its burying ground.” The cemetery opened for burials in 1822. By 1835, the cemetery had outgrown its original site and more acres were acquired. The practice of acquisition of land would continue for many years. Today the cemetery contains 19 acres. The Nashville City Cemetery is under the supervision of the Metro Historical Commission and the grounds are maintained by the Metro Board of Parks.
To support the work of the Metro Government in the preservation and beautification of the City Cemetery, the Nashville City Cemetery Association was organized in the 1990s. The Association, a membership organization, works to protect, preserve, restore and raise public awareness for the cemetery. In 2005 & 2006, the Nashville City Cemetery Association invited volunteers to come to the cemetery on organized “Tombstone Days” to record the inscriptions and to take photographs of those tombstones with legible inscriptions. Two thousand tombstones were recorded. The inscriptions from another thousand tombstones could not be read because of their weathered condition or because of their broken condition or because they were overturned. In the future, it may be possible to read additional tombstone inscriptions following the restoration project at the City Cemetery which is described below.
During 2007 the Metro Historical Commission took on the responsibility of supervising the restoration of the City Cemetery utilizing the $3 million. These funds were authorized
in 2006 in the Capital Budget, as proposed by Mayor Bill Purcell and approved by the Metro Council. As of January 2008, stone conservators have cleaned all gravestones, repaired & re-set many fallen tombstones, renovated the family mausoleums and reconditioned over 200 box tombs. The restoration will continue during 2008, with the additions of improved walkways, road beds, lighting and security as well as new interpretative signage.
To view the inscriptions and photographs of tombstones, visit the Nashville City Cemetery Association web site at www.thenashvillecitycemetery.org
RESEARCH REPORT: JANUARY 5, 2008