After the 1822 purchase of four acres of land near the bottom of St. Cloud Hill from John Cockrill (1757-1837), Peyton Robertson (1742-1814), and Richard Cross, the City of Nashville opened the City Cemetery. Designed by the famed architect William Strickland (1788-1854), the cemetery later expanded to twenty-seven acres. Approximately 22,000 people are buried at the City Cemetery including approximately 6,000 African Americans, ranging from slaves and freedmen. There are more than 2,000 unnamed infants also interred. During the Civil War, the cemetery temporarily held Union and Confederate soldiers. In 1958, Nashville Mayor Ben West (1911-1974) led an effort to restore and preserve the cemetery. The City Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Nashville City Cemetery
36.145761, -86.773486
Description
After the 1822 purchase of four acres of land near the bottom of St. Cloud Hill from John Cockrill (1757-1837), Peyton Robertson (1742-1814), and Richard Cross, the City of Nashville opened the City Cemetery. Designed by the famed architect William Strickland (1788-1854), the cemetery later expanded to twenty-seven acres. Approximately 22,000 people are buried at the City Cemetery including approximately 6,000 African Americans, ranging from slaves and freedmen. There are more than 2,000 unnamed infants also interred. During the Civil War, the cemetery temporarily held Union and Confederate soldiers. In 1958, Nashville Mayor Ben West (1911-1974) led an effort to restore and preserve the cemetery. The City Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
