Nashville is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

Lowndes County, Mississippi Lowndes County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 58,879. Its county seat is Columbus. The county is named for U.S. Congressman William Jones Lowndes. ...

, United States. Located west of the Alabama state line, on the east bank of the

Tombigbee River The Tombigbee River is a tributary of the Mobile River, approximately 200 mi (325 km) long, in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Alabama. Together with the Alabama, it merges to form the short Mobile River before the latter empties i ...

, Nashville was once an important shipping port and river crossing location.

History

The site was settled by Daniel Young, a blacksmith, in 1824, and the place became known as "Young's Bluff". In 1833, a road was constructed west from Young's Bluff to intersect the Robinson Road (which connected the cities of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, and

Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States ** Natchez slave market, Mississippi * ...

, and is the second oldest road in Mississippi), and another was constructed east into Alabama. Road traffic passed through the community and then crossed the river on a ferry owned by Young. Another early settler, Nimrod N. Nash, opened a store there, and then purchased Young's property in 1834. He renamed the town "Nashville", and sold lots to settlers. In addition to the successful ferry service, Nashville's stores supplied local farmers with goods, it had a post office established in 1837, and its port had facilities to store cotton until steamboats arrived in the late autumn-early winter, when water level would rise. Despite this, Nashville never experienced significant growth, and the town did not incorporate. It never had more than two stores, and in census of 1840, the population was about 55 whites, and an undetermined number of slaves.

Decline

A river flood devastated the low-lying town in 1847, and by 1850, there was one store left. The post office closed in 1852, and the Nashville voting precinct ended the following year. Many of the homes were soon abandoned. Nashville continued to serve as a minor shipping port until the Civil War, and the Nashville Ferry continued to operate until between 1967 and 1973. The river at this site is now part of the

Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (popularly known as the Tenn-Tom) is a artificial waterway built in the 20th century from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior- Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama, United State ...

, and numerous cottages line the east bank. A private boat launch known as "Nashville Ferry" is located there, and roads leading to the waterway on both shores are named "Nashville Ferry Road".

References

{{authority control Former populated places in Lowndes County, Mississippi Former populated places in Mississippi