Skyline View Circuit

From this viewpoint, Fort Negley presides over Nashville’s ever-changing skyline, which itself tells a story of urbanization, gentrification, and environmental degradation within the city. Located on prime real estate, Fort Negley has also been confronted by issues of redevelopment over the decades, but it has survived. 

The fort is only two miles from Broadway, the heart of downtown, but its history and cultural significance, especially for African Americans, has often been overlooked or undervalued. With recent efforts to preserve the integrity of Fort Negley, there is a renewed interest in its history. There is greater public recognition of not only the need to preserve the physical construction of the Fort Negley site but also, the memories and narratives that are intertwined with its history.

Eleanor Fleming describes her first visit to Fort Negley in 2017:

FLEMING: So coming in October and being here, I mean it was a quiet, you know, Friday morning probably around 7:30 so there weren't a lot of people around. And to feel kind of the stillness of the place and just to look to see the beauty in it. And, you know, it's not a lot there but what is there has been so carefully preserved and to walk around and read the signs and just think about what this place means and the larger story of Nashville, Tennessee, of this nation.

Pause at the sign titled “Decline and Restoration of Fort Negley” for the next stop.