Nashville: The Turn of the 20th Century

A the turn of the century Nashville’s population was exploding and its growth over the next two decades would include many cultural, architectural, and political changes.

In 1900, Union Station would open its doors for business, followed by the opening of the Nashville Arcade, in 1903.The Hermitage Hotel opens in downtown Nashville in 1910.

Nashville’s First Library, Carnegie Library would open in 1904 and that same year Nashville's first skyscraper is constructed and all of the downtown street names are changed to numbered streets.

Nashville would see the beginnings of a public park system, when the city acquired Centennial Park, in 1902 and three years later, in 1905 Nashville would see the opening of the first park to serve Nashville's black community, Greenwood Park and, in 1912, Hadley Park, the nations first public park for African-American citizens would open.

In 1902 Nashville would see two fires occur at 2 of Nashville’s local theatres The Grand Opera House and The Vendome. Other theatres in Nashville during this time included; The Masonic, The Orpheum and Union Tabernacle Church, which was renamed The Ryman Auditorium in 1904.

In 1904, the Bijou Theatre, would be erected on the former site of the Grand and over the next decade it would become one of the South’s leading theaters for African American audiences. In 1907 Nashville’s first movie theatre, The Dixie, would open.

Organized Sports would continue to evolve in the early 1900’s with the forming of the Southern Association in 1901. The Nashville Volunteers would make Sulphur Dell Ballfield their home for the next 60 or so years.

Transportation would also continue to evolve with the automobile becoming more and more widely used. In 1910, the Marathon Motor Car begins manufacturing in Nashville and the next year Motel-T Ford is driven up the steps of the capital in an effort to prove that the automobile could replace the horse. That same year the world's first night airplane flight would take off from Nashville’s Cumberland Park.

Political issues and controversy ran ramped during this time. The African American community instituted a streetcar boycott to protest a new law requiring separation of the races on electric streetcars in 1905. The Temperance movement was making a strong stand on Prohibition and in 1909, Statewide Prohibition is passed over Governor Patterson's veto.

Educational Growth continues in Nashville with George Peabody College for Teachers opening in 1909 by the merging of Davidson Academy, Cumberland College, the University of Nashville, and Peabody Normal College and three years later in 1912 the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School opens, known now as Tennessee State University.

Nashville saw two Major Disasters during this time, the first in 1912 when the Nashville Reservoir ruptures and floods South Nashville. Then in 1916, East Nashville is devastated by fire. The fire only lasted a few hours but destroyed over 500 homes.

Two products were also made famous during this time; Maxwell House Coffee term “Good to the Last Drop” was made famous by a 1907 Presidential visit and in 1912 the Goo-Goo Candy Bar was invented.