Tennessee State University

Not far from Fisk and Meharry is Tennessee State University’s main campus. The school opened its doors with 230 students in 1912 as the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School for Negroes—called Tennessee A&I for short. It was the first public school for African Americans funded by the state of Tennessee, which came out of the General Education Bill of 1909. The school was located next to Hadley Park—the first park in the nation created exclusively for African Americans, which also opened in 1912.

During its early years, Tennessee A&I students completed most of the labor needed to support the school. Students cleaned the dormitories and buildings, maintained the grounds, raised vegetables, baked bread, did laundry, and helped with daily operations. The first president was William Jasper Hale, who served in this role for 31 years. The school didn’t receive the same amount of funding as predominantly white institutions, but Hale was undeterred. He managed to increase enrollments and elevate the curriculum to collegiate status by 1922. To secure more state funds, he sent elected officials Christmas turkeys from the school's farm and brought state legislators to campus. By 1936, nine new buildings had been constructed. Tennessee A&I also became the leading institution for Black teacher training programs. The school earned national accreditation in 1933 and continued to expand until his retirement in 1943.

In 1968, the school became Tennessee State University. It remains the state’s only public historically Black university and the only four-year public university in Nashville. TSU’s alumni include a notable list of graduates. Among them are media icon and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, Olympic gold medalist Wilma Rudolph, Civil Rights activist and aviator "Rip" Gooch, famed jazz musician Jimmy Blanton, microbiologist Dorothy McClendon, and NFL Hall of Famer Richard Dent. Today’s Tennessee State University has approximately 8,000 students and offers 38 bachelor’s degrees, 24 master’s degrees, and 7 doctoral degrees. For the compete history of Tennessee State University, take our campus walking tour, written and narrated by Dr. Lea Williams, a professor of African American and Public History at Tennessee State University.

Fun Fact: The women’s track team, called the Tigerbelles, was the best in the nation for more than three decades. A total of 40 Tigerbelles competed in the Olympics, bringing home 23 medals. Coach Ed Temple's famed women's track & field program also won 34 national titles during his tenure from 1953 to 1994.

Take John A. Merritt Blvd. back to 28th Ave N and turn RIGHT. Drive for about a mile, crossing over Charlotte Avenue and the Francis S. Guess Connector as 28th Ave becomes 31st Ave. Turn LEFT onto Park Plaza and drive along the northern edge of the park, then enter on your RIGHT. Follow the signage to park near the Parthenon. Feel free to get out and enjoy the park while you listen to the next stop.