East Park and Great Fire of 1916

Here we are at your next stop—East Park. Walk along the path or feel free to explore the park as you listen to this stop. Now let’s go back in time, over 150 years ago, to 1862. The Civil War was raging, and the Union Army had made its way to the banks of the Cumberland River. Many of the city’s elite lived right here, including banker Charles Fuller. At Fuller’s home, on February 23rd, Nashville Mayor Richard Cheatham met U.S. Army Colonel John Kennett and Captain H.C. Rodgers to discuss the city’s surrender. Two days later, an agreement was signed, which stated in part: “If [the Union] respects private property, the Capital of Tennessee will be surrendered without a fight.” This clause included enslaved persons—considered private property in the state.

Nashville would remain under Union control for the rest of the war, which gave the U.S. Army a strategic advantage and a key foothold in the South. If you want to learn more about the Civil War in Nashville, take our Downtown Civil War Tour and our Civil War Driving Tour. So where is Charles Fuller’s house now? Tragically, his beautiful home was destroyed in the 1916 fire. A marker on the southern end of the park is the only remnant of this historic moment. Feel free to walk over to the community center to view the marker if you’d like.

Let’s talk more about the 1916 fire. This event is a major part of East Nashville’s story and is actually the reason East Park exists. The “Great East Nashville Fire,” as it is called, started on March 22, 1916. As the story goes, a ball of yarn burst into flame as a young boy played in front of the hearth in his home on 1st Street. The panicked boy threw the yarn out the window where it spread to dry brush. When the fire reached nearby Seagraves Planing Mill, the stacks of dry wood at the mill turned the fire into an inferno. With fifty-mile-per-hour winds, it was no match (pun unintended) for the fire department.

The fire was finally extinguished, but the damage had been done. For five hours, the fire had scorched over 64 acres, destroying over 35 city blocks and 600 buildings and homes. Other properties were severely damaged, including Edgefield Baptist Church, Woodland Street Presbyterian Church, and the Warner School. The homes located in East Park were all destroyed, and so the city built this park and dedicated it in 1920. Originally more grand, the park’s neo-classical pavilion was replaced by athletic fields in the 1950s.

With over 3000 left homeless, those who had wealth moved from East Nashville to West Nashville communities such as Belle Meade. Those left behind were tasked with rebuilding East Nashville, and without the support of Nashville’s main power brokers, this area entered a period of decline. This would shift the trajectory of Nashville’s history and development for the next 75 years.

Your walk across the park should bring you to the corner of South 7th St. and Russell St., facing your next stop—Edgefield Baptist Church on your left and Warner School on your right.