Major Eugene Castner Lewis (June 21, 1845 – February 13, 1917) was an American engineer and businessman. He served as the chairman of the

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville on December 11, 1845, ...

from 1900 to 1917. As a civic leader, he helped develop Shelby Park and Centennial Park, including the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are conside ...

, as well as

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

Early life

Eugene C. Lewis was born on June 21, 1845. His father was the manager of the

Cumberland Iron Works Cumberland Furnace is an unincorporated community in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. Cumberland Furnace is served by a U.S. Post Office, ZIP Code 37051. History General James Robertson purchased the land now known as Cumberland Furna ...

. Lewis was educated at the

Pennsylvania Military Academy Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

, enrolling in 1862, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

Business career

Lewis began his career as the president of

Sycamore Mills Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the ancient Greek ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

Cheatham County, Tennessee Cheatham County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. Its county seat is Ashland City. Cheatham County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro– Franklin, T ...

. He also designed at least two bridges over Sycamore Creek in Nashville. Additionally, he was the honorary president of the American Association of Engineers. Lewis joined the

as an industrial engineer. He was elected to its board of directors in 1896, and he served as its chairman from 1900 to 1917.

Civic activities

Lewis was appointed as director-general of the

Tennessee Centennial Exposition The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition held in Nashville from May 1 – October 31, 1897 in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 17 ...

, held a year late in 1897. In particular, he was known to have suggested that a reproduction of the Greek Parthenon be constructed as the centerpiece of Nashville's exhibit and the Exposition. Nashville was nicknamed the "Athens of the South." Its rival Memphis constructed a reproduction of a pyramid. Both exhibits were lit at night and were next to each other on the shore of

Lake Watauga Watauga Lake, located east of Elizabethton, Tennessee, is the local name of the Watauga Reservoir created by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) with the 1948 completion of the TVA Watauga Dam. The Cherokee National Forest surrounds both the Te ...

. Lewis supported the retention of the popular

after the exposition closed. (In the 1920s, it was reconstructed in permanent materials and adapted for use as an art museum in the park.) The exposition grounds were adapted as Centennial Park, which Lewis helped develop, along with Shelby Park. Additionally, Lewis helped develop

. On April 19, 1909, Lewis conducted the dedication of the

Sam Davis Statue The Sam Davis Statue is a historic bronze statue of Sam Davis, the "Boy Hero of the Confederacy," outside the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. History Its commission was first suggested by Sumner Archibald Cunningham, the found ...

outside the

Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenne ...

Marker on Masonic Crypt of Major Eugene C

Lewis was the first vice president of the Nashville Art Association. He was a member of the Park Commission for the City of Nashville from 1910-1912. In 1916, a lawsuit against city government called him as a witness. His and other testimony showed he had hired his son, his brother, his niece, his second nephew and the latter's son to the park commission while he served on it. This was considered illegal nepotism and patronage. He said some appointments were made by others and he had not been aware.

Death

Lewis died on February 13, 1917, in Nashville. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, in a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be con ...

shaped like an Egyptian pyramid, guarded by two sphinxes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Eugene C. 1845 births 1917 deaths People from Nashville, Tennessee Widener University alumni Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) American engineers Businesspeople from Tennessee 19th-century American businesspeople