Description

An early Mississippian village was located here, centered around an underground sulphur spring that was boiled to make salt. European settlers called this area French Lick Springs, and many visited the springs for medicinal and recreational purposes throughout the 19th century. From 1870 to 1963, Sulphur Springs Park, later called Athletic Park and then Sulphur Dell, hosted Minor League and Negro League baseball games. The stadium was demolished in 1969 and the site became parking for state offices. In 2014, ground was broken on the new First Tennessee Park. It replaced Herschel Greer Stadium (located by Fort Negley) as home to the Nashville Sounds AAA baseball team. The ballpark, renamed First Horizon Park in 2015, was designed by Barton Malow and Bell & Associates Construction.

Title First Horizon Park

Creator Nashville Historical Foundation

Author Ben Parnell II, MTSU graduate student and Adam Fracchia, NHF Archaeologist, 2030

Date 1870, 1963, 1969, 2014, 2015

Address 19 Jr Gilliam Wy, Nashville, TN 37219

Type Landscape

Coverage Area 4

Source Barton Malow and Bell & Associates, construction firm

Contributor Gobbell Hays Partners; Capitol Project Solutions; Metropolitan Council of Nashville; First Tennessee Bank; First Horizon Bank

Subject Early Settlement; New South; New Nashville; Native Americans; Sports

Keywords Mississippian, Nashville Sounds, Minor League Baseball, Negro League Baseball

Rights CC BY-NC 4.0