Tennessee State Capitol and Grounds

Believe it or not, Nashville has not always been the state capital of Tennessee. Between 1796 and 1843, the capital seat of government moved from Knoxville to Kingston to Nashville to Murfreesboro. Finally, in 1843 the General Assembly debated and voted on the state’s permanent seat of government. Some lawmakers from East and West Tennessee wanted to locate the capital in Rutherford County since it was the geographic center of the state. In the end, Nashville won out because the Stones River was too shallow for steamboats to go up the river to Murfreesboro, the county seat of Rutherford County.

The city of Nashville purchased this hill, known as Campbell’s Knob, where the capitol now stands, and gave it to the state. After the decision was made, the General Assembly hired William Strickland, a nationally known architect to design the building. Dr. Philip Lindsley, the founding president of the University of Nashville, had called Nashville the“Athens of the West.” Perhaps Strickland used Lindsley’s inspiration in his design of a Greek revival structure reminiscent of the Acropolis in Athens. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1845. Strickland came to Nashville to oversee the construction of the building, but died in 1854 before it was completed. He was buried in the north wall of the building. Francis Strickland, his son, who was also an architect, oversaw the completion of the building until the structure was finished in 1859. It is considered by many architectural historians to be the best example of Greek Revival architecture in the country. When the Civil War began in 1861, and the Union Army then came in and occupied the city in early 1862, the capitol was temporarily named Fort Andrew Johnson. It became the headquarters for the Union Army during the city’s more than three years of occupation. There are free tours available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. Visitors must present a photo ID and go through metal detection security in order to enter the building. For more information about Capitol tours, see the Tennessee State Museum website.

Pause the narration and climb the stairs to explore the capitol grounds.  Walk up the steps and around the building for the second part of this stop. We will look at the monument and memorials of U.S. presidents from Tennessee. Pause the narration and resume play when you reach the top right side of the Capitol Hill.

As you walk around the Capitol, you’ll pass many statues and memorials honoring noteworthy Tennesseans. As you ascend the stairs at the corner of 6th Ave. N and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, you’ll see the first of these statues:Alvin C. York, one of the most decorated United States soldiers in World War I. York is famous for his attack on a German machine gunner’s nest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. On the corner of Seventh Ave. North and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. stands the statue of Private Sam Davis, a Confederate Army spy hanged for espionage in 1863. Below the Sam Davis statue is a plaque entitled, “LEST WE FORGET: The Middle Passage c.1444-1860.” This plaque was placed by the Tennessee Legislative Black Caucus in 1999 to honor and commemorate the enslaved Africans who died on their way from Africa to the Americas.

Tennessee’s three presidents are also honored at the capitol. Just past the reproduction of the Liberty Bell, you’ll see a statue of seventeenth president Andrew Johnson by East Tennessee artist Jim Gray. Gray cast two of this same statue—one is on display at Johnson’s home in Greenville, Tennessee. You will also see a statue of seventh president Andrew Jackson, and the tomb of the eleventh president, James K. Polk, and his wife, Sarah Childress Polk. The Polks were moved from their burials at their home, Polk Place, before the building was razed in 1901. For more information about Polk Place, visit our Downtown Civil War tour and Hidden History tour. 

To reach the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, walk back toward the Polks’ tomb. There is a walking path that will take you to the back side of the hill with a staircase going down. Take the stairs down, cross James Robertson Parkway at Seventh Avenue, and proceed to the state timeline, represented in granite relief on your left.

If you would rather walk around, return to the base of Capitol Hill along Fifth Avenue North, cross James Robertson Parkway, and turn LEFT. You will see Bicentennial Park on your right. Walk to Seventh Avenue North and take a RIGHT to walk along the state timeline, represented in granite relief on your right.