NASHVILLE, TN — On Thursday, December 15, 2022, NashvilleSites.org launched the Civil War driving tour, the fifth driving tour the organization has launched this year. This driving tour includes sites like the Surrender of Nashville, Fort Negley, Granbury’s Lunette, Shy’s Hill, and the Nashville Peace Monument. The tour experience can be customized—visit one or all the tour stops in any order. Take the tour in-person by driving to nearby locations or visit virtually using any device. Each stop has audio narration, a map, and historic images. Visit www.nashvillesites.org/tours/civil-war-driving to start taking the tour today.
The Civil War Driving Tour was sponsored by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. It was written by MTSU public history graduate student Marley Abbott and Belmont University honor’s student Caroline Tvardy. The tour was narrated by Myers Brown, the executive director at Belmont Mansion and a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians.
According to Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Nashville Sites Executive Director, “Nashville was in a unique position throughout the Civil War. Though the state of Tennessee seceded from the United States in 1861, and the city and state economies relied heavily on enslaved labor, Nashville was occupied by U.S. troops for over three years. It was one of the earliest Southern cities to fall to Federal occupation. It was also the site of battle that effectively ended the Confederate Army of Tennessee. As we celebrate the 158th anniversary of the Battle of Nashville today, we are excited to launch this tour that celebrates the perseverance of those who built Fort Negley, the sacrifices of the U.S. Colored Troops at Granbury’s Lunette, the victory won at Shy’s Hill, and the man who gave us the name for our American flag—Old Glory.”
Nashville Sites offers 30+ free, self-guided walking and driving tours about Nashville history that can be taken virtually or in-person. Each tour features a map, historic and current images, written and audio narration, and metadata information for citation and credibility purposes. We work with scholars and experts to research and write the tours, and the website is mobile-friendly with no need to download an app to use on any device. This is all made possible by the project’s many stakeholders, including community members, private foundations, non-profit organizations, and local universities.
About Nashville Sites
Nashville Sites’ mission is to engage users through inspirational stories and images that connect the city’s past and present. Nashville Sites tours highlight the forgotten and lesser-known stories of Nashville, expanding upon the city’s traditional historical narratives. The team welcomes the challenge and opportunity to re-define the city’s written history. By making these stories easily accessible, the Nashville Sites team hopes that the content will inspire curiosity and instill a passion for knowledge. Launched in 2019, Nashville Sites is a program of the Metro Historical Commission Foundation, a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to assist the Metropolitan Historical Commission in its efforts to identify, protect, study and interpret the rich history of Nashville.
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