Middle of Fort

We are now standing at the most protected part of the Fort. It is also the most visible. This would have been especially true 150 years ago when the top of the hill was bare except for two trees used as lookout points. After the war, the Union Army stayed in Nashville until September 1867, but after they abandoned the fort it became a meeting place for Ku Klux Klan cross burnings and initiations. Such sights must have been terrifying to the majority Black neighbors who lived closest to Fort Negley. And it was precisely for this reason that the KKK chose to meet at the top of St Cloud Hill. It was extremely visible, but was also a symbol of Black accomplishments and Confederate losses. 

The Nashville KKK chapter was formed by Confederate veteran John W. Morton. According to Morton's November 21, 1914 obituary in the Tennessean, "To Captain Morton came the peculiar distinction of having organized that branch of the Ku Klux Klan which operated in Nashville and the adjacent territory, but a more signal honor was his when he performed the ceremonies which initiated Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest into their mysterious ranks." The Ku Klux Klan in Tennessee officially disbanded in 1869 when they ceremoniously marched to Fort Negley and burned their hoods. But unofficially, KKK rallies continued well into the twentieth century. Eyewitnesses reported seeing crosses burn atop Fort Negley as late as the 1950s. This stop and the next present important but challenging questions about what the fort means to people who live in Nashville today.

Exit the same way we entered the fort. Feel free to explore the wooden, triangular path on your right if it is open to the public during your visit. For your safety, be sure to mind all park signage. There are two options for walking back down the hill. You may either take the gravel path to the left of the Sally Port. Or, for a handicap-accessible route, take the asphalt path back to the main loop. As you exit the Fort, begin the next narrative. Pause at the sign titled “Decline and Restoration of Fort Negley” for the next stop.