Nashville dates back to 1779 when James Robertson and John Donelson arrived and built a stockade. It was the height of the War of Independence so they named it Fort Nashborough after a Revolutionary War hero, General Francis Nash. In 1784 the town was renamed Nashville. It was the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace, a track from the Mississippi at Natchez. The Trace, its position on the Cumberland River and later the railroads helped the town to grow into a major centre for cotton trading. In 1843 it became the capital of Tennessee. Although Tennessee joined the Confederate side in the Civil War, Nashville was taken by the Union Army early in 1862, the first state capital to fall. The Confederates tried to retake the city in late 1864 but were badly defeated at the Battle of Nashville. After the Civil War the city resumed its growth and the city with the metropolitan area around it now has a population of over 1.5 million.
Fort Nashborough
The original Fort Nashborough provided shelter for the early settlers until 1792 when the threat of Indian attacks came to an end. The original Fort Nashborough disappeared a long time ago, but on the banks of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville a reconstruction of the fort has been built close to the original site. It is much smaller than the original but there are enough buildings to give a real feel for life in this frontier outpost in the late 18th century, provided that you can ignore the modern buildings that tower over it. Entry to the reconstruction of Fort Nashborough is free.
Nashville
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Grand Ole Opry
In 1925 the WSM-AM radio channel began broadcasting a live country music show called the WSM Barn Dance. The show was broadcast weekly in a slot that followed a classical music show. In 1927 the Barn Dance announcer referred to the preceding show as having music from grand opera. He added ‘From now on, we will present the Grand Ole Opry'. The name stuck and the Grand Ole Oprey is still broadcast live today. Several venues in Nashville have hosted the show over the years but in 1974 a dedicated Opry House was opened to the east of the city. In May 2010 the Cumberland River broke its banks flooding the Opry House, forcing the show to return to its previous home, the downtown Ryman Auditorium. This picture was taken in October 2010 when the Opry House just reopened to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the show.
Boat in Delta Atrium, Opryland Hotel
When the Grand Ole Opry was built it was in the Opryland USA Theme Park. In 1977 the Opryland Hotel opened beside the theme park. Originally a relatively conventional hotel, it has grown considerably over the years and a number of large atriums have been added. The first was the Garden Conservatory which allowed guests to walk through a tropical garden. The huge Delta Atrium was added in 1996 featuring the ‘Delta River’ on which guests can take a trip through the atrium by boat. The theme park closed in 1997 but by that time one could argue that the hotel had become a theme park in its own right. Opry Mills Shopping Mall replaced the theme park and in May 2010 both hotel and mall were completely inundated by water during the floods. The hotel reopened in November but at the time of writing the mall was still closed.
Wurlitzer Jukebox, Country Music Hall of Fame
The European settlers who came to the southern Appalachian Mountains were hardy people mainly from mountain areas such as Scotland, Ireland, Wales and parts of Germany. With them they brought their music which became blended into a distinctive style and also influenced by the music of African slaves. The resultant music was originally known as Hillbilly Music but from the 1940s it was increasingly called Country Music. The Country Music Hall of Fame tells the story of the development of Country Music, the various types of country music and the stories of its greatest practitioners. These pictures were taken in 1999 in the original museum on Music Row. A new museum opened in 2001 on 5th Avenue. Click Tab 2 to see Elvis Presley's Gold Piano
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© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
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