Centennial Park, Parthenon, Suffrage Statue

You have arrived at our final stop—Centennial Park. From the steps of the Parthenon’s main entrance you will see the nearby Suffrage Monument. The monument, unveiled in 2017, was created by renowned local sculptor Alan LeQuire. The five women honored are Anne Dallas Dudley of Nashville, J. Frankie Pierce of Nashville, Sue Shelton White of Jackson, Abby Crawford Milton of Chattanooga, and Carrie Chapman Catt, the leader of the national suffrage movement. How does the park fit in with Tennessee’s “War of the Roses”? Here’s the final chapter of our story:

Centennial Park was the site of the 1897 Centennial Exposition, a world’s fair organized to celebrate a century of statehood and to showcase the city’s progress after the Civil War. There were many buildings, rides, and exhibits. The replica of the Parthenon served as the Fine Arts Building, and symbolized Nashville’s claim as the “Athens of the South.” During the exposition’s six month run, more than 1.5 million visitors came to the fair. 

By the time the exposition opened, there were ten Tennessee towns that had suffrage clubs. Laura Clay, Anna Howard Shaw, and Susan B. Anthony were among the nationally-known suffragists who came to Nashville during the exposition and gave lectures in the Women’s Building. Laura Clay, a Kentucky suffragist, wanted the question of voting to be determined by individual states rather than a national amendment. In contrast, Anthony and Shaw believed that suffrage should extend to women no matter where they lived.

After the exposition closed, the grounds became a city park. Centennial Park was a destination for many suffrage parades and marches as they started downtown and ended here. Organized by Anne Dallas Dudley, Catherine Kenney, and others, the marches often ended with a rally on the steps of the Parthenon. On May 1, 1916, Dudley led a parade through the streets of downtown Nashville to rally support for suffrage. As the size of the march grew, businesses unfurled banners that read “Votes for Women” and working women threw flowers from their office windows. There were more than 2,000 people who gathered at the end of the march at the Parthenon—led by Dudley and her two children. It was on the Parthenon steps that Dudley declared, “The right to vote is a matter of simple justice.”

You can tour the Parthenon and see the magnificent statue of Athena inside. Also, there are many sites of interest in the park. Visit our Athens of the South and Public Parks Tours to learn more about Centennial Park.