Entry No. 12 — the Nashville file — filed under: forced labor history

Fort Negley

Union forces made roughly 2,768 Black Nashvillians — enslaved people, newly freed men who'd come to the city expecting liberty, and free men conscripted off the street — build this hilltop stone fort in 1862; in January 2018 archaeologists halted a planned redevelopment after finding what may be their unmarked graves beneath the site, which is now a UNESCO Slave Route Project Site of Memory.

The move: Walk the half-mile trail up to the stone ramparts around dusk, then check the visitor center's hours before you go, since parts of the fort itself cycle in and out of access during ongoing restoration.

• 📍 Wedgewood-Houston / South Nashville
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 1100 Fort Negley Blvd, Nashville, TN 37203

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: nashville.gov · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-20