Nashville's Fort Negley Opens To The Public
By Gregory L. Wade
January 2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Fort Negley is coming to life for the third time since its original construction in 1862. Dedication ceremonies at the fort were held Dec. 10, the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Nashville (Dec. 14-15, 1864).

The fort, located near downtown Nashville, has been closed to the public for 60 years. A crowd of about 300 attended the ceremony in blustery weather along with numerous local and state officials.

Kix Brooks of the country music duo Brooks and Dunn told how he first learned about the structure, so well hidden on the wooded hill.

"I was at Greer Stadium [nearby minor league baseball field] and got to the game early. I went for a walk up the hill and was fascinated by what I found. That's how my interest in the preservation got started for me," he said. "I was amazed it had been closed for so many years."

After the Union occupied the city in 1862, a series of forts and earthworks were built around the southern perimeter in anticipation of an eventual Confederate assault. While not directly attacked, Fort Negley's cannon did fire at Confederate positions during the 1864 battle.

Virtually all of these works have been lost over the years to development with the exception of Negley, city owned since 1928. The largest of the Nashville defensive works, it is 600 feet long and 300 feet wide. Built in the classic French star design, it was formidable indeed and the biggest stone fort in the Western Theater.

Black laborers, many of them Union soldiers, built much of the massive stone works. Norm Hill, an African American reenactor and local historian, said, "This fort is a tribute to the labor and craftsmanship of the African American community."

The fort was named for Gen. James Negley who commanded Union forces in Nashville when the fort was built. In 1865 it was renamed Fort Harker in honor of Gen. Charles Harker who was killed at Kennesaw Mountain, but the new name didn't catch on.

When the war ended the citizens saw the fort as a symbol of Federal occupation and when it was abandoned in 1867 the locals wanted to forget its existence.

Ken Marcom, age 85 and a founding member of the Battle of Nashville Preservation Society (BNPS), said the fort was hard for some to accept. "It was considered a foreign fort. The locals had a hard time with the occupation and wanted its memory removed."

Marcom, a Nashville native whose grandfather served with the Federal cavalry during the war, said that only in recent years have people been able to see Fort Negley as a significant "piece of history regardless of political ideology."

The fort experienced new life in the Depression year of 1937 when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) rebuilt much of the massive earth and stone works. "Some critics say it isn't the original since some of the first stones were built upon during the WPA rework. That doesn't matter to me. It is still a place of great historical interest," says Marcom.

Although the fort was restored as a park along with ball fields and other facilities in the adjoining area, the fort again faded out of memory after it was closed to the public in 1945 because it was in a state of disrepair and was not safe.

Speaking to the dedication crowd, Nashville Vice Mayor Howard Gentry added humor to the event when he said, "I used to 'trespass' up here all the time. I even brought Boy Scout troops up here to 'trespass.'"

Renewed efforts to stabilize the works took place in the '80s and '90s after the fort was named a national historic site in 1975, according to the BNPS. Newspaper reports show that at a 1994 public forum about what to do with the fort, there were many who wanted it removed since it was a reminder of Union occupation. However, the preservation movement along with the current city administration partnered to get the facility reopened.

Nashville Mayor Bill Purcells, who supported the city's restoration efforts, called the fort a tribute to a "city that survived a difficult time." The city allocated $2 million to stabilize the fort and erect a visitor's center. The work done in 2004 included clearing out thick overgrowth and installing interpretative walkways, overlooks and landscaping.

Purcells said, "United we can solve any problems. This fort will be an inspiration for our future."

Bob Henderson, past president of BNPS, is excited about the potential for enhanced interest in local Civil War sites. This could be a "springboard for heritage tourism," he said.

Reflecting on how far the effort has come, Wes Shofner, one of the early BNPS presidents, said that for a long time the first goal was "simply to keep the idea of restoring the fort alive."

"The mayor promised it would be done," he said. With surrounding highrise office buildings making an imposing view from the fort's works, it looks like it happened.

Maybe the third opening will be for good.