City: Nashville, TN

Category: Tours & Attractions

Address: 1001 Fourth Ave. S. at Oak Street

Description: This cemetery was opened January 1, 1822, making it Nashville’s oldest remaining public cemetery. It’s also one of the few cemeteries in the state listed as an individual property on the National Register of Historic Places. There are some 23,000 graves here, including the graves of many early settlers, whose remains were brought here for permanent burial. Many graves are unmarked. Among the notables buried here are Nashville founder Gen. James Robertson (1742–1814) and Capt. William Driver (1803–1886), who named the American flag “Old Glory.” Three Civil War generals are also buried here: Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson (1817–1880), hero of the Battle of Chickamauga; Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell (1817–1872), a commander at the Battle of Gettysburg; and Gen. Felix Zollicoffer (1812–1862), editor of the city’s first daily newspaper, killed at the Battle of Fishing Creek, in Kentucky. In 1878 city officials voted to allow only descendants of owners with unfilled plots to be buried here. This policy is still in place. The property is administered by the Metro Historical Commission (615-862-7970) and maintained by Metro Parks. Many of the grave markers and monuments have been vandalized or have deteriorated and are no longer legible, but an ongoing restoration project has repaired some of the structures. Metal markers containing historical information are located throughout the grounds. The cemetery is open daily. Cemetery records are in the Tennessee State Library and Archives at 403 Seventh Ave. N. (615-741-2764).