Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there. It includes the tombs of 22,000 people, 6,000 of whom were African Americans.

Overview

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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

due to its historical and architectural significance. Among those interred in the cemetery are two of Nashville's founders, four

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

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. Sea Captain William Driver, who coined the name "Old Glory" for his ship's U.S. Flag and hid that famous flag during the Civil War, is buried here. By 2017, the cemetery included the tombs of approximately 22,000 people, 6,000 of which were African Americans. On March 4, 2017,

Elias Polk Elias Polk (1806 – December 30, 1886) was a former enslaved African American, most known for being enslaved by President James K. Polk and his family from the time of his birth until emancipation in 1865. After the American Civil War, he became ...

and Matilda Polk, who were enslaved by President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

, had their tombstones replaced as part of an effort to recognize more African-Americans buried at the cemetery. Nashville City Cemetery is located near downtown Nashville at 1001 4th Avenue South.

Notable buried

* Lt. Lipscomb Norvell – Revolutionary War Soldier and father of US Senator

John Norvell John Norvell (December 21, 1789April 24, 1850) 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. He is t ...

. * Samuel R. Anderson – Confederate brigadier general in the Civil War. *Gen. Felix Kirk Zollicoffer – Confederate general, U.S. Congressman, journalist, Tennessee militiaman. * Washington Barrow – U.S. Charges d'Affaires to Portugal; U.S. Congressman from 1847 to 1849. * William Carroll – Governor of Tennessee from 1821 to 1827 and again from 1829 to 1835. * Thomas Claiborne – U.S. Congressional Representative from 1817 to 1819. * Charles Dickinson – Killed by

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

in 1806 duel. * William Driver – Coined the name ''Old Glory'' for the U.S. flag in 1831. *

Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. L ...

– Civil War Confederate General, corps commander, Army of Northern Virginia. * Francis Fogg – Developed Nashville's public school system in 1852. *

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote many popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists. C ...

– Prolific American songwriter, principally in country music. * Mabel Imes and Ella Sheppard – two of the original

Fisk Jubilee Singers The 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 college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditio ...

. * John Patton Erwin – Mayor of Nashville from 1821 to 1822, and from 1834 to 1835. * Alexander Porter – U.S. Senator who represented Louisiana. * Felix Robertson – Mayor of Nashville from 1818 to 1819, and from 1827 to 1829. * Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill – pioneer. * James Robertson and his wife, Charlotte Robertson – two of the founders of Nashville (then called Fort Nashborough) * Wilkins F. Tannehill – Mayor of Nashville from 1825 to 1827. * Charles Clay Trabue – Member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

from 1824 to 1828 and Mayor of Nashville from 1839 to 1841.Nashville City Cemetery
/ref> * Ben West – 62nd Mayor of Nashville from 1951 to 1963. *

– Enslaved body servant to James K. Polk and later political activist.

References

*Bucy, Carole S., and Kaplan, Carol F. ''The Nashville City Cemetery: History Carved in Stone''. Nashville, TN: Nashville City Cemetery Association, 2000.

External links

The Nashville City Cemetery Association
{{Authority control Cemeteries in Nashville, Tennessee Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee 1822 establishments in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Nashville, Tennessee