Religious Publishing Houses

This next stop tells the story of three sites that uncover the rich history of religious publishing houses located on or near Fourth Avenue North from 1871 to the 1950s. As you make your way to the Morris Memorial Building on the corner of Fourth and Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard, listen to our first story about the Cumberland Presbyterians. 

Part I:

The Cumberland Presbyterians operated a publishing house in four different locations in this area between 1871 and 1914. Their largest facility was just up the street from the Ryman at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Commerce Street. Who were the Cumberland Presbyterians? They were a group of Presbyterians who split from the main Presbyterian USA body. This split was a product of the Second Great Awakening, as Cumberland Presbyterians embraced the emotional revivalism of the early 1800s. Here in Tennessee, the regional body of church leaders, known as the presbytery, appointed preachers without the required seminary training. This resulted in a standoff between regional and national conferences. Tensions rose and, in 1810, three ministers gathered in nearby Dickson, Tennessee to formally separate from the national Presbyterian church. They formed their own organization, which made the Cumberland Presbyterians the first Protestant denomination to be formed in the state. This new faction was named for the Cumberland River that runs 688 miles through southern Kentucky and northern-central Tennessee, including Nashville.

Given the denomination’s origins, it only seems fitting that the Cumberland Presbyterians decided to call Nashville home. In 1867, Reverend Dr. Rice argued that publishing headquarters should be moved here from Pittsburgh, as Nashville was geographically central and a hub for religious publishing. The presbytery agreed and the first publishing house was constructed at 41 Union Street in 1871. By 1913, the complex had grown to include a book store, weekly and monthly publications, and the offices of the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing Board. 

Pause the narrative here and continue walking up Fourth Avenue towards Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Resume the narration when you reach the Morris Memorial Building.

Part II.

Once you reach Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Boulevard you will be able to see two more historical sites that played a major role in Nashville’s religious publishing industry. Two blocks to the right of the intersection, you will see a historic marker for “Western Harmony” in the distance. You can walk there if you like, or just listen to a piece of hidden history right here in Nashville. Have you ever heard of shape notes? Shape notes are a unique notation whereby different shapes, such as triangles and diamonds, are added to note heads in order to help singers find their pitch. By placing the pitches directly on the note, singers could learn songs without knowing how to read traditional music. In the U.S., shape notes began in New England but became popular in the South during the nineteenth century. 

The historical marker stands at the former site of the Nashville Republican newspaper where, in 1824, a book of hymns titled “The Western Harmony,” was published. This early book of hymns, arranged by Allen Carden and Samuel Rogers, kick-started the music publishing industry in Nashville. It was not the most popular hymnal in the region, but its use of shape notes made it famous. Now let’s turn our attention to the building in front of you.

Part III:

At the intersection of Fourth and Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. is the Morris Memorial Building, named for the Reverend E.C. Morris. This building was the second site of the Sunday School Publishing Board for the predominantly African American National Baptist Convention.

While some independent black Baptist churches were formed in the South before the Civil War, they were required to belong to white associations and have white ministers. In the North, African American Baptist associations were formed as early as the 1840s, but regionalism continued to divide their efforts. The National Baptist Convention was finally established in 1894 at the Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia at which time the Reverend E. C. Morris from Little Rock, Arkansas was chosen as the president.

Under Morris’s leadership, the Sunday School Publishing Board became one of the first African American-owned publishing companies in the South. The Publishing Board moved their operations to this intersection after Dr. A.M. Townsend, a graduate of Meharry Medical College, became the board’s president. Dr. Townsend coordinated the purchase of the Commercial Hotel, formerly the Verandah Hotel, on this site. The old hotel building was near Nashville’s slave market and dated back to 1850 when weekly auctions were held here. Seventy-five years later, in 1925, the redesigned Morris Memorial Building opened and would become the publishing arm of the largest African-American Christian denomination in the United States.

The building was designed by the McKissack and McKissack architecture firm, the first African American owned architecture firm in the nation. There were many other black-owned businesses in this area, but many were forced to relocate as part of the Capitol Hill Redevelopment Project in the 1950s. Though this publishing house has ceased operations, the Morris Memorial Building survived and remains a testament to the National Baptist Convention and religious publishing.

From the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, take a LEFT and remain on the same side of the street. Continue walking until you reach St. Mary of the Seven Sorrows on the LEFT.