| Greenwood Park | |
|---|---|
 The park entrance | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°08′39″N 86°43′21″W / 36.144067°N 86.722433°W |
| Area | 40-acre (0.16 km2) |
| Established | 1905 |
| Closed | 1949 |
Greenwood Park was the first urban park and recreation area established for African Americans in Nashville, Tennessee. [1] [2] It was located on a 40-acre (16 ha) plot approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of downtown along Spence Lane between Lebanon Pike and Elm Hill Pike, across from Greenwood Cemetery. [1] [3] The park was founded in 1905 by Preston Taylor, a wealthy minister and former slave. [1] [4] It remained open until 1949. [4]
Natural features of the grounds included hills, dales, evergreen trees, and streams. [3] The park, which was lit by electric lights, also had a restaurant, theater, roller rink, roller coaster, shooting gallery, merry-go-round, zoo, swimming pool, and a baseball diamond. [3] [4] The ballpark's grandstand had seating for a few thousand people and hosted the games of the independent minor league Nashville Standard/Elite Giants and local amateur Negro league teams. [3] [5]
It was the home of a large annual fair hosted by the Tennessee Colored Fair Association. [6] The 1909 fair was to include oration by Booker T. Washington and music by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. [6]
The park was served by electric streetcars and was at the end of the Fairfield Street trolley line. [3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Story of Greenwood". Historic Nashville. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ Phillips, Betsy (February 19, 2015). "Fascinating figures and forgotten stories from African-American history in Nashville". The Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e Richardson, Clement (1919).
The National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race. Montgomery: National Publishing Company. p.
335. Retrieved December 31, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
Tennessee Colored Fair Association,.
- ^ a b c "Greenwood Park - 3A 129 - Nashville, TN". Waymarking. Groundspeak. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ Nipper, Skip (October 18, 2013). "Tom Wilson and the Nashville Elite Giants". 262 Down Right. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ a b "Tennessee Colored Fair Association advertisement – Trials and Triumphs". Nashville Globe. July 23, 1909. p. 8.
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| Greenwood Park | |
|---|---|
|
The park entrance | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°08′39″N 86°43′21″W / 36.144067°N 86.722433°W |
| Area | 40-acre (0.16 km2) |
| Established | 1905 |
| Closed | 1949 |
Greenwood Park was the first urban park and recreation area established for African Americans in Nashville, Tennessee. [1] [2] It was located on a 40-acre (16 ha) plot approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of downtown along Spence Lane between Lebanon Pike and Elm Hill Pike, across from Greenwood Cemetery. [1] [3] The park was founded in 1905 by Preston Taylor, a wealthy minister and former slave. [1] [4] It remained open until 1949. [4]
Natural features of the grounds included hills, dales, evergreen trees, and streams. [3] The park, which was lit by electric lights, also had a restaurant, theater, roller rink, roller coaster, shooting gallery, merry-go-round, zoo, swimming pool, and a baseball diamond. [3] [4] The ballpark's grandstand had seating for a few thousand people and hosted the games of the independent minor league Nashville Standard/Elite Giants and local amateur Negro league teams. [3] [5]
It was the home of a large annual fair hosted by the Tennessee Colored Fair Association. [6] The 1909 fair was to include oration by Booker T. Washington and music by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. [6]
The park was served by electric streetcars and was at the end of the Fairfield Street trolley line. [3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Story of Greenwood". Historic Nashville. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ Phillips, Betsy (February 19, 2015). "Fascinating figures and forgotten stories from African-American history in Nashville". The Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e Richardson, Clement (1919).
The National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race. Montgomery: National Publishing Company. p.
335. Retrieved December 31, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
Tennessee Colored Fair Association,.
- ^ a b c "Greenwood Park - 3A 129 - Nashville, TN". Waymarking. Groundspeak. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
- ^ Nipper, Skip (October 18, 2013). "Tom Wilson and the Nashville Elite Giants". 262 Down Right. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ a b "Tennessee Colored Fair Association advertisement – Trials and Triumphs". Nashville Globe. July 23, 1909. p. 8.
| |||||||||||||
| Franchise | |||||||||||||
| Ballparks |
| ||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||
| League pennants (6) |
| ||||||||||||
| Other play-off appearances |
| ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||