Featured Stories: 8
Hermitage Hotel
The Heritage Hotel opened in 1910. The hotel was advertised as “fireproof, noise proof, and dustproof” during its opening. The hotel’s intersection includes other great historical landmarks, such as the Tennessee State Capitol and the Ryman…
Pearl School
The first African-American public primary school in Nashville was built on this site (then 217 S. Summer St) in 1893. The Pearl School was named for the first superintendent of Nashville schools, Joshua F. Pearl.
The new building was the pride of…
Women's Suffrage at the Hermitage Hotel
In March 1920, Washington became the 35th state to pass the 19th amendment, securing women the right to vote. Only one more state was needed to ratify the amendment. Four months later, Tennessee Governor Albert Roberts called special sessions to…
The Zollicoffer Home
This site was once the family home of Felix Kirk Zollicoffer. Born in Maury County in 1812, Zollicoffer became a printer and worked with newspapers in various areas in both Tennessee and Huntsville, Alabama. He began a military career as a lieutenant…
The Andrew Jackson Hotel
In 1919, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Tennessee Memorial Act. The act established plans to build a memorial for veterans of the First World War that could also be used for state office space and public gatherings. Also in the plan were…
The High Priestess of the Mother Church: Lula C. Naff
In 1904, Lula Naff began working at the Union Gospel Tabernacle, later known as The Ryman Auditorium, booking boxing matches, speaking engagements, and concerts. In 1920, she was promoted to General Manager and began to position Nashville as the…
The Mother Church of Country Music: The Ryman Auditorium
Standing outside the Ryman Auditorium, one is first struck by the enormity of the building’s windows and doors. It stands looking over the city bustle of Fifth Avenue. Thomas Ryman, a riverboat businessman, knew the river port city of Nashville…
Model T exposition at the Tennessee State Capitol Building
At the turn of the 20th century, Henry Ford became one of the most successful businessmen in the world by creating the Model T car and introducing low-cost mass production to auto manufacturing. The Ford Company marketed the Model T to the middle…