Hadley Park, Alkebu-Lan Images, Tennessee State University

Welcome to Hadley Park and Tennessee State University—your final stops on the Jefferson Street driving tour. Here you will see Hadley Park, which opened to the public in 1912. It was the first public Nashville park created for African Americans during an era of Jim Crow segregation. The 30-acre park includes a community center, picnic area, sports fields, a bandshell, and playgrounds. During World War II, Black soldiers used the park while completing their military training. In 1947, the park installed a swimming pool, which closed in the early 2000s. 

The land was purchased from the estate of John L. Hadley, who enslaved many African Americans. In 2018, a petition was started to change the name of the park, but there is a disagreement about the park’s namesake. Those in favor of keeping Hadley Park’s name argue that it was named after Dr. W.A. Hadley, a prominent Black physician in the late 1890s. If time permits, walk over and check out the stone columns at the main entrance, which features the names of Black soldiers from Nashville who died during WWI. Before we leave Hadley Park, look across the street to Alkebu-Lan bookstore—founded by Yusef Harris in 1986. It is a prominent Black-owned bookstore in Nashville, and its name translates from Arabic “Land of the Blacks,” which is the oldest known description of Africa. Next door is College Crib, a great stop for local HBCU and Greek life apparel. 

Exit the park via the driveway that runs parallel to Jefferson Street, taking you past the swimming pool and tennis courts. Turn LEFT onto John A. Merritt Boulevard and continue driving until you reach Tennessee State University. Turn LEFT on Thirty-Third Ave. N to park in the Visitor’s parking lot and walk across the street. This is the second part of the final stop of your tour.

Welcome to Tennessee State University—if you’re standing in front of a fighter jet you’re in the right place. We'll tell you a bit about this historic university, but we encourage you to take our full campus walking tour of TSU on Nashville Sites. To take the walking tour, check in with security before entering campus. You'll find them located at each main entrance. The TSU tour was written and narrated by Dr. Lea Williams, a scholar of African American and Public History at Tennessee State University.

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. 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. Dr. Henry Allen Boyd, my great-great uncle, was also instrumental in securing the land grant for Tennessee A&I. His home is located at the intersection of 16th Ave and Meharry Blvd. at Fisk University.

In 1968, the school changed its name to Tennessee State University. It remains the only state-funded historically Black university in Tennessee and the only four-year public university in Nashville. There are so many important people and places connected to TSU, and it is impossible to list them all! Fun Fact: A total of 40 Tigerbelles, including Wilma Rudolph, competed in the Olympics, bringing home 23 medals. Coach Ed Temple's famed women's track & field program also won thirty-four national titles during his tenure from 1953 to 1994.