Edgehill Community Garden & Murrell School

Walk and listen to the narrative as you stroll through the Edgehill Community Garden. So let’s go back in time to the 1950s. You would see sculptor William Edmonson’s home being torn down along with other nearby homes as part of the Federal Urban Renewal Project. Then, you would see a new school and park being constructed. The large brick building you see today is the former home of the Murrell School, which opened in 1958. The school was named for Professor Braxton Murrell, the beloved math department chair and orchestra director at Pearl High School.

In the 1990s, Edgehill Community Memorial Garden was created, becoming Nashville’s first officially recognized community garden. Today, the garden serves as a space for adults and children to learn about gardening and nutrition and grow their own food. Garden space is offered free of charge to Edgehill residents, and on average more than 30 residents maintain garden plots each year.

In 2001, the Organized Neighbors of Edgehill were awarded a grant to improve the park. Edgehill leaders and community members worked with Nashville’s Civic Design Center to redesign the park. Then, in 2018, the city announced a plan to sell the land to private developers. Edgehill neighbors quickly organized to form the “Save The William Edmondson Homesite Coalition” to protect the green space and garden. The group canvassed for signatures and met with Metro Council members and the school board to explain the historical significance of the park and the need for green space within the Edgehill neighborhood.

As a result of the coalition’s hard work and the support of the District’s council member, Metro Council voted to stop the sale of the park. Since 2018, the park has been improved and more than 50 trees have been planted by the Nashville Tree Foundation. The Murrell building is no longer in use. The remaining students were moved to the Glenn School in 2018, but retained their name—Murrell Special Day School.

Walk along the paved sidewalk path through the park then turn RIGHT when you reach the community garden. Follow the alley and turn LEFT on the paved road. Walk along the edge of the garden and turn RIGHT on Horton Avenue. Nashville Public Library’s Edgehill branch will be on your right.