Nashville City Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville
, Tennessee
. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there.
Nashville City Cemetery was opened on January 1, 1822. By 1850, over 11,000 people were buried there. In 1958, Nashville Mayor Ben West
led an effort to restore and preserve the cemetery. In 1972, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
due to its historical and architectural significance.
Among those interred in the cemetery are two of Nashville's founders, four Confederate
generals, one Tennessee Governor, and twenty-two mayors of Nashville. Also buried there are numerous soldiers, schoolteachers, former slaves, early civic leaders, and other interesting citizens of Nashville. The cemetery currently contains over 23,000 graves.
Nashville City Cemetery is located near downtown Nashville at 1001 4th Avenue South.
Some of the notable people buried in the cemetery include:
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there.
Nashville City Cemetery was opened on January 1, 1822. By 1850, over 11,000 people were buried there. In 1958, Nashville Mayor Ben West
Ben West
Raphael Benjamin West was mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1951-1963. West was born on March 31, 1911, in Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee the son of Martha Melissa and her husband James Watt West....
led an effort to restore and preserve the cemetery. In 1972, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
due to its historical and architectural significance.
Among those interred in the cemetery are two of Nashville's founders, four Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
generals, one Tennessee Governor, and twenty-two mayors of Nashville. Also buried there are numerous soldiers, schoolteachers, former slaves, early civic leaders, and other interesting citizens of Nashville. The cemetery currently contains over 23,000 graves.
Nashville City Cemetery is located near downtown Nashville at 1001 4th Avenue South.
Some of the notable people buried in the cemetery include:
- James RobertsonJames Robertson (early American)James Robertson was an explorer and pioneer active primarily in what is now the State of Tennessee during the second half of the 18th century. An early companion of explorer Daniel Boone, Robertson helped establish the Watauga Association in the early 1770s, and helped defend Fort Watauga from an...
and his wife, Charlotte Robertson – two of the founders of Nashville (then called Fort Nashborough) - William Carroll – Governor of Tennessee from 1821 to 1827 and again from 1829 to 1835
- William DriverWilliam DriverWilliam Driver was a U.S. ship captain. He coined the phrase Old Glory for the U.S. flag.Young Capt. William Driver of Salem, Massachusetts was presented a beautiful flag by his family and a group of friends. Driver was delighted with the gift. He exclaimed, "I name her 'Old Glory,'" and Old Glory...
– coined the name Old Glory for the U.S. flag in 1831 - Thomas ClaiborneThomas Claiborne (1780-1856)Thomas Claiborne was a son of Thomas Claiborne and brother of John Claiborne. He was a Representative from Tennessee; born near Petersburg, Brunswick County, Virginia, May 17, 1780; attended the common schools in Virginia; served as major on the staff of Gen. Andrew Jackson in the Creek War...
– U.S. Congressional Representative from 1817 to 1819 - Washington BarrowWashington BarrowWashington Barrow was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 8th congressional district.-Biography:...
– U.S. Charges d'Affaires to Portugal; U.S. Congressman from 1847-49 - Francis Fogg – developed Nashville’s public school system in 1852
- Mabel Imes and Ella Sheppard – two of the original Fisk Jubilee SingersFisk Jubilee SingersThe Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for their college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditional spirituals, but included some Stephen Foster songs...
- Lt. Lipscomb NorvellLipscomb NorvellLipscomb Norvell was an American military officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War ....
Revolutionary War Soldier and father of US Senator John NorvellJohn NorvellJohn Norvell was a newspaper editor and one of the first U.S. Senators from Michigan.-History:Norvell was born in Danville, Kentucky, then still a part of Virginia, where he attended the common schools.... - Samuel R. Anderson, Confederate brigadier general in the Civil War.