Public Square

Part I. Observation Towers: Charlotte Robertson and Rachel Donelson

If you are at Fort Nashborough, go to the deck that overlooks the Cumberland River. If you are at Public Square, the first part of our stop is located on far side of the Observation Tower, facing away from the court house. At this time, unfortunately the Observation Tower is not open, so you cannot go up to the top, but please check the metro government website for updated information. On the opposite side of the Observation Tower, near the Cumberland River, you will find two inscriptions carved onto the sides of the structure. One of these is for John Donelson and the other James Robertson, two of Nashville’s founders, and we will begin by talking about their wives and families. Look for the stone carved descriptions of Robertson and Donelson. Hit pause and resume narration when you are ready.

Transport yourself back in time—nearly 250 years ago—replace the noise of traffic with the sounds of nature. Our story begins with the river, and this version will tell you about the women who first arrived in the Nashville settlement. In late 1779, James Robertson and a small group of men landed on the Cumberland’s banks. Another man, John Donelson brought the rest of the settlers on flat boats—among them were his family and Robertson’s wife Charlotte and their three small children. 

After navigating the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers to reach the Cumberland, the Donelson party arrived April 24, 1780. With no phones, GPS, social media, or even regular mail we can only imagine the fright and anxiety of these early settlers. These early female settlers had few possessions—the clothes on their back, an iron pot for cooking, a cooking utensil or two, and little else. Charlotte Robertson brought her children here, only to see little two-year-old Lavinia Robertson die of natural causes after they arrived. Her son Jonathan was severely wounded in an early Indian attack but survived. Rachel Donelson, married to John, raised their eleven children near Fort Nashborough. One of her daughters, also named Rachel, would marry future President Andrew Jackson in 1794—two years before Tennessee became a state. 

Death was a part of everyday life in Nashville, or in Nashborough as it was originally called. A year after the settlements here were established only about one-fourth of the population survived. More than fifty had been killed in Indian attacks and others had moved to the safety of Kentucky or Illinois. Those who remained, women such as Charlotte Robertson and Rachel Donelson, helped to stabilize this fledgling settlement. Today’s Charlotte Avenue is named for Charlotte Robertson, which ironically intersects with James Robertson Parkway. 

*Note a portion of Charlotte Avenue has been renamed Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. from Interstate 40 to Third Avenue. Now walk to the court house steps, press pause and then play when you are ready to continue.

Part II. Courthouse Steps, Diane Nash

Find the plaque beside the main entrance doors to read about the Nashville Sit-Ins during the Civil Rights movement, then resume the narration. It was here, on these very steps that student activists, led by Fisk University’s Diane Nash, met Mayor Ben West in April 1960. This moment arose from a march that began on the Tennessee State University campus. What began as 2,000 people soon swelled to 3,000 as they walked in silence for nearly four miles to the city hall. Once here Diane Nash asked, “Mister Mayor, do you feel it is wrong to discriminate against a person solely on the basis of their race or color?” He agreed it was wrong, and Nash continued, “Do you mean that to include the lunch counters?” The mayor said, “yes,” and the marchers erupted in cheers. Three weeks later, the first phase of Nashville’s Civil Rights movement ended when Nashville became the first southern city to desegregate its lunch counters on May 10.

A Chicago native, Nash came to understand the true meaning of Jim Crow segregation when she moved to Nashville. In 1959, she began to attend workshops on nonviolence directed by Rev. James Lawson and was quickly elected chair. She said, “I came to [Fisk to] study English, [t]hen I got in the movement, and I knew that was my vocation – it became very clear.” Nash was also one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee known as SNCC. Nash would remain at the center of the Civil Rights movement. In 1961, she coordinated the Freedom Rides through Alabama and Mississippi. Between 1961 and 1965 she worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and also remained active with SNCC. She was arrested several times and once served jail time while pregnant. Diane Nash remains a Civil Rights hero and icon. For more, see our Civil Rights tours on Nashville Sites. 

Now, explore the rest of Public Square as you listen to the last part of this stop, which talks about the women in government. Press pause and then play when you are ready to continue.

Part III. Public Square

The Metro Nashville-Davidson County courthouse is the fifth courthouse to occupy this square. Built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration, at this time it now serves as both the city hall and county courthouse. Nashville's first three female city council members included Gertrude Bartlett, who in 1953 filled the unexpired term of her late husband, James C. Bartlett. She remained on the city council for ten years, eventually joined by two other women — Frances Doyle succeeded her husband in 1959 and Jessie Barefield Mansfield did the same in 1960. In 1963, Nashville and Davidson County governments consolidated, and Metro Government was created. After the Metro Council replaced the City Council, Lois Jordan, an African-American, became the first female in 1971 to be elected to the council on her own standing. In 2007, the city elected its first female vice mayor, Diane Neighbors, and in 2015, the city elected a record 15 women to the Metro Council and its first female mayor, Megan Barry.

Once you have reached the other side of Public Square, cross the street and turn LEFT onto Third Avenue. Then turn RIGHT onto Union Street. Cross over Fourth Avenue North you will see the former site of Sally Thomas’s Boarding House.