Fort Nashborough Re-Opens Thursday

NASHVILLE, TN — The replica of Fort Nashborough, in 2010 the victim of the devastating flood and long the victim of benign neglect, will re-open with a ribbon cutting Thursday at 9 a.m.

A replica of Fort Nashborough — the site of the first European settlement in the Cumberland River Valley founded by pioneers led by James Robertson and John Donelson — has stood between First Avenue and the river since the 1930s, when it was built by the Works Progress Administration out of retired telephone poles. It suffered massive damage in the flood and has been more or less closed since then. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

The new interpretative center includes several reconstructed cabins and blockhouses with classroom spaces for school groups and explanatory signage. The site is bifurcated by a greenway, making it accessible virtually constantly, though the buildings themselves will only be open during normal park hours.

In addition and unlike the former replica, the new site has extensive information on the Native Americans who were already in place when the pioneers arrived.

The ribbon cutting begins at 9 a.m.

Image via Jerrye & Roy Klotz, used under Creative Commons