Even long-time Nashvillians may have forgotten the quirky carousel that used to twirl along the banks of the Cumberland River. Designed by the pop artist Red Grooms, the spinning homage to Tennessee delighted and bemused tourists and families, starting in…
Read MoreCategory: History
The First White Man in Nashville
One weird problem that plagues Nashville’s early history — and I think we’ve talked about this before — is that there’s a bunch of information historians have that is so well-known to them that they assume everyone knows it which,…
Read MoreThe Truth About The Woman Behind ‘Granny White Pike’
Even an odd street name like “Granny White” fades into the background for anyone who regularly drives the shady two-lane road to Brentwood. But a few listeners have submitted Curious Nashville questions about it, like this one: Was Granny White…
Read MoreHow Manners Changed the World
Come! Enter a banquet hall of the early Middle Ages and sit down to enjoy some dinner. At one end of the table is a whole spit-roasted pig, which seems to be looking at you funny. At the other end…
Read MoreFive Disasters That Have Defined Nashville
One of Nashville’s biggest disasters was an enormous fire that broke out in East Nashville on March 22, 1916. As we approach the 100-year anniversary of that event, we look back on five defining disasters that have occurred in the…
Read MoreA Complex History of Fur, Women and Commerce in Nashville
The other day on Facebook, one of my friends linked to this entry on Demonbreun’s Cave at Atlas Obscura. The entry is notable for being almost completely wrong. But the parts I wanted to focus on, because I think they’re…
Read MoreProminent Black Professor Disputes Conventional Wisdom on Slavery
It is amazing how many different ways the same thing can be said, creating totally different impressions. For example, when President Barack Obama says that defeating ISIS is going to take a long time, how is that different from saying…
Read MoreA History Stranger Than Fiction
Once a year, the Tennessee State Museum takes out its strangest object and puts it on display for the day. Last Saturday was your annual chance to see the cute little coffin and the mummified thumb that resides within. This,…
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