Settled north of Nashville in 1782, Inglewood began as a farming community on the Cumberland River. Early prominent citizens built many grand homes in the area, including Weakley and Riverwood, which are still standing today. A new community called "Inglewood Place" began in 1908 and churches, schools, and businesses soon followed. Nearly 700 homes were built prior to 1940, but Inglewood saw its heyday following World War II as Nashville's first modern suburb. Inglewood's Isaac Litton High School was known throughout Middle Tennessee for its academic excellence, championship sports, and its renowned band, "The Marching 100." Today people are moving back to Inglewood because of its history and beauty still reflected in the majestic Cumberland River, the numerous natural springs, and varied architecture.
During the 19th century, Nashville's families of means built large estates in bucolic East Nashville, away from the noise and pollution of the city. The village of Edgefield became Nashville's most exclusive suburb, with rows of commanding Italianate, Renaissance Revival, and Queen Anne townhomes lining Woodland, Russell, and Fatherland Streets. Streetcar suburbs formed in the Lockeland and East End areas as farmland and country estates were sold off and subdivided. Included in this exquisite collection of images--most of which are from state and local archives and private collections--are rare views of local landmarks that are now only memories. View the magnificent estates, historic churches and schools, and mom-and-pop businesses that once thrived in these communities. Experience the tranquility of Shelby Park--a relaxing boat ride on Lake Sevier or a picnic in the Sycamore Lodge. Also explored in East Nashville are the trials the area has endured over the years, from the Great Fire of 1916 and the Tornado of 1933 to the vast changes brought on by urban renewal. This collection is a tribute to the people who have helped make East Nashville what it is today.
Before there were guidebooks, there were just guides—people in the community you could count on to show you around. I'll Take You There is written by and with the people who most intimately know Nashville, foregrounding the struggles and achievements of people's movements toward social justice. The colloquial use of "I'll take you there" has long been a response to the call of a stranger: for recommendations of safe passage through unfamiliar territory, a decent meal and place to lay one's head, or perhaps a watering hole or juke joint. In this book, more than one hundred Nashvillians "take us there," guiding us to places we might not otherwise encounter. Their collective entries bear witness to the ways that power has been used by social, political, and economic elites to tell or omit certain stories, while celebrating the power of counternarratives as a tool to resist injustice. Indeed, each entry is simultaneously a story about place, power, and the historic and ongoing struggle toward a more just city for all. The result is akin to the experience of asking for directions in an unfamiliar place and receiving a warm offer from a local to lead you on, accompanied by a tale or two.
Nashville's 150-year public transportation heritage is a rich and colorful one that began in 1866 when two private companies, the McGavock and Mount Vernon Horse Railroad Company and the South Nashville Street Railroad Company, commenced operation. The first cars were mule powered. During the 1880s, as streetcar routes became longer and too strenuous for animal power, steam dummy lines were introduced. On April 30, 1889, Nashville became one of the earliest cities served by electric street railways, developing a 70-mile system by 1915. In addition to its advanced streetcar system, Nashville was also served by two interurban railway systems. Over time, improved roads and affordable cars caused ridership on public transportation to drop rapidly. By February 1941, buses had replaced the last of the city's aging streetcars. The traction era had come to an end.
