Sarah Estell and 5th Avenue Murals

The next stop has two parts and is designed to reveal an inspiring story about ice cream and some hidden artwork as you walk to your final tour stop—the Ryman Auditorium! For the first part of the stop, look to your right (just a few feet from Woolworth). Locate a historical marker that recognizes Sarah Estell—a free black woman who opened an ice cream parlor in 1840. Because Tennessee was a slave state, she faced prejudice and push back despite her “free” status. But Estell prevailed and became a local celebrity of sorts. The ice cream parlor’s custard-based delicacies attracted people from all over the city regardless of race. She served chocolate and fruit-based ice creams, as well as Parmesan and rye bread flavors, which were both very popular. 

Sarah didn’t stop there. In 1859, she started a boarding house and catering service, which operated out of another location on 4th avenue. She catered for all sorts of events, including for local churches, politicians, firefighters, and more. Sadly, she closed her ice cream shop and catering business at the start of the Civil War. However, Sarah Estell’s legacy remains and wouldn’t you love to taste her Parmesan flavored ice cream? For more on Sarah Estell’s life take our Women’s History Highlights and Early Black Life and Culture tours.

Continue walking toward Church St. Cross Church St. then cross to the opposite side of 5th Ave and continue walking. Stop at the parking garage with the mural that reads, “As Long as the Grass Shall Grow.” Press pause, then play, when you are ready to resume the narration.

On your left, you’ll see a mural that reads “As Long as the Grass Shall Grow.” This mural was commissioned as part of the Nashville Walls Project in 2016. These words are lyrics from the Johnny Cash song “As Long as the Grass Shall Grow” from his 1964 album entitled Bitter Tears, Songwriter Peter Le Farge wrote the song to bring attention to the injustice experienced by Native Americans. The title references a treaty signed between the American government and the Seneca tribe in Pennsylvania. The terms stated that the treaty would stand, “as long as the grass shall grow and the river flow,” but the U.S. government rescinded the agreement to build a dam—forcing the Seneca tribe to move. Cash believed he was one quarter Cherokee, which influenced the release of this album and his involvement in the fight for Native American rights. Though Cash later learned that he had no Native American ancestry, he remained involved in the movement. 

There are two more hidden murals just to your left. Follow the alleyway to your left behind Downtown Presbyterian Church. “Beautiful Decay,” the peeling arrows mural on the parking garage, is painted in the trompe l’oeil style so that with the right perspective, you can take a photograph that looks like you are peeling the arrow away from the building! Then turn around and look behind you. On the building beside the church you will see the 2007 Mural Odyssey, one of the oldest murals in Nashville. Learn more about these murals on the Downtown Public Art and Murals Tour. 

Return to 5th Avenue and take a LEFT. Continue walking down 5th Ave., crossing Commerce Street. You will see the original entrance to the Ryman Auditorium on your left. Stop at the corner next to the “Birth of Bluegrass” historical marker.