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A Resolution recognizing the 200th anniversary of the Nashville City Cemetery.
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WHEREAS, the City Cemetery is the oldest and continuously operated public cemetery in Nashville; and
WHEREAS, on March 9, 1820, the Mayor of Nashville and Aldermen purchased four acres of land from Richard Cross which were located “on the plains, south of town, for its burying ground” and the cemetery opened on January 1, 1822; and
WHEREAS, approximately fourteen years later the cemetery outgrew its original site, and more acres were acquired; and
WHEREAS, by 1850 the cemetery was the final resting place for over 11,000 people of every race, religion and economic status; and
WHEREAS, since its opening, there have been 20,000 interments in the City Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, among the people buried in the cemetery are four of Nashville’s first settlers, namely, founder of Nashville, James Robertson, his wife Charlotte Reeves Robertson, and John and Ann Robertson Cockrill; and
WHEREAS, additionally American Revolutionary War soldiers such as Lipscomb Norvell, Joel Lewis, Anthony Foster; four Confederate generals: Felix Zollicoffer, Bushrod Johnson, Richard Ewell, and Samuel Read Anderson; the man who named the American flag “Old Glory,” Captain William Driver, fifteen mayors of Nashville and former Tennessee Governor William Carroll, are interred at the Nashville City Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, two of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers, Mabel Lewis Imes and Ella Sheppard Moore, slaves and free persons of color interred prior to the Civil War, are also among those buried in the grounds of the small and peaceful cemetery; and
WHEREAS, in 1972 the City Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of its historical and architectural significance; and
WHEREAS, the brick building, located beyond the Hill family vault in the circle, was built in 1947, designed by Nashville architect Edwin A. Keeble (1905-1979); and
WHEREAS, that through the Master Gardeners of Davidson, volunteers plant and maintain the flowers at the City Cemetery including large beds in front of the Keeble Building; and
WHEREAS, the Nashville City Cemetery Association, Inc. is a volunteer membership organization that works to protect, preserve, restore, and raise public awareness of the Nashville City Cemetery in collaboration with the Historical Commission of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, on October 22, 2022, the Nashville City Cemetery Association will host a community wide event featuring vendors, historical presentations, speakers, reenactments, and tours to commemorate its 200th year anniversary; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Nashville City Cemetery and recognizes its history and significance to the Nashville community; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as recognizing the 200th anniversary of the Nashville City Cemetery.
Section 2. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.