Nashville's Centennial Park

Nashville's Centennial Park is located on the West End of Nashville, just across the street from Vanderbilt University. The park is comprised of 132 acres, that was originally farmland, owned by Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill. Cockrill was the sister of General James Robertson and was also the first school teacher in the state. After serving as farmland, the site then became a racetrack for horses. The track was known as "West Side Park." In 1897, the area was used for the celebration of the Tennessee Centennial. As part of the celebration, a full scale replica of the Parthenon was constructed, as well as a pyramid. There was also a man made lake that was dug, known as Lake Watauga. The Centennial Celebration lasted from May to October of that year. During those six months, there were approximately 1.8 million visitors. When the celebration was over, the pyramid, as well as other temporary buildings were razed. The Parthenon, however, was saved from demolition. This was due in part to a high cost of demolition, as well as the popularity of the structure. The Parthenon led to Nashville being given the nickname "Athens of the South." The Parthenon has since been converted into an art gallery and serves as the centerpiece of the park. During the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 60s, the park was off limits to African-Americans. Today the park is host to thousands of visitors a year. In addition to the Parthenon and Lake Watauga, the park has other attractions, such as an F-86L Sabre Jet, and a Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis steam locomotive. Centennial Park is and continues to remain a popular Nashville attraction, just like the Ryman Auditorium, the State Capitol Building, and Vanderbilt's historic Memorial Gymnasium.

Centennial Park during the 1897 Centennial celebration.

Aerial painting of the 1897 Centennial celebration.

Aerial view of the park today.

The F-86L Sabre Jet 

The Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis steam locomotive, known as 576.

Stay tuned next week for another installment of my Throwback Thursday series. Be sure to visit the section of the blog devoted to Moore Historical Consulting. I have all your historical research and heritage management needs covered. Put me to work for you!!

The Transcontinental Railroad

The Transcontinental Railroad was constructed in an effort to link Sacramento, California, with Council Bluffs Iowa. The rail line pitted two railroad companies against each other. The Central Pacific, would build the railroad east, and the Union Pacific would build their's west. The railroad was financed by government bonds, issued for thirty years, at 6% interest. The two railroad companies received funding from private donors as well. Leland Stanford became president of the Central Pacific, and Dr. Thomas Durant became president of the Union Pacific. Both men rose to power based on their financial contributions to the railroad. The Central Pacific was the first to break ground on the new railroad, doing so on January 8, 1863. The Union Pacific were delayed in beginning construction by eighteen months, due to a lack of financial backing. Getting supplies was challenging for both sides. In order to receive the necessary supplies, manufacturers from the East Coast had to send ships around the tip of South America, and then back up to California. This process took months to complete, and was slowed further, by the Civil War. After the Civil War ended, the Union Pacific, due to their late start on construction, were forced to compete with southern railroad companies, for supplies, who were trying to repair their railroads, that were damaged during the War. The Union Pacific Railroad's goal was to make the route as short as possible. Their route was arguably the most challenging. At one point the construction workers had to cut through granite for nearly a mile on both sides. They also had to build bridges over bodies of water such as the North Platte River, and Dale Creek. Tunnels were constructed using nitroglycerine. This helped the construction process go faster, but also led to more fatalities. The Central Pacific had a shorter route, and a somewhat easier one as well. The roughest part of their route was over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Donner Summit. They used an engine from an old locomotive to give them the needed mechanical power to get through the mountain range. Construction lasted until May 10, 1869. The railroad was completed fairly quickly considering the technology and the resources of the time. On May 10th, both companies came together at Promontory Summit, Utah to celebrate their accomplishment. To commemorate the railroad being completed, Central Pacific president Leland Stanford drove in the "golden spike." The Transcontinental Railroad was completed. This railroad has become one of the biggest and most impressive feats of engineering in United States History. It led to a boom in passenger travel, and commerce across the nation. There is truly nothing like it in the world.

Leland Stanford president of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Dr. Thomas Durant president of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The Transcontinental Railroad was met with challenging terrain, such as the Donner Pass.

This map shows the route of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Stay tuned next week for another Throwback Thursday blog post. Be sure to check out the section of the blog devoted to Moore Historical Consulting. Put me to work for you!!

Ernest Shackleton and his Imperial-Trans Arctic Expedition

Ernest Shackleton was a British Explorer who made several trips to the South Pole. He is credited with reaching the furthest south longitude in the world. He is most famous however for his Imperial-Trans Arctic Expedition. The goal of this expedition was to sail to Antartica, and cross the continent. There were two ships involved in this expedition. They were the Endurance and the Aurora. The expedition was funded mainly by private donations. The trek across the continent would be carried out by Shackleton and six of his men. The estimated distance was 1,800 miles. Before leaving on the expedition, Shackleton received 5,000 applications from men wanting to come with him. Through rigorous interviews, he was able to whittle this number down, to fifty-six. The expedition finally launched in 1914. Despite the outbreak of World War I, Winston Churchill allowed the expedition to proceed. After departing New Zealand, all was going well, until the crew reached the Weddell Sea, where they encountered ice. Endurance eventually became frozen in an "ice floe." Shackleton ordered all the men off the ship, and ordered that she be converted to a winter station. By the time the ice began to break, the pressure began causing holes to form in the ship's hull. The ship eventually sunk. For the next two months, November and December, Shackleton and his men were stranded on an "ice floe." Their goal was to get the floe to float to nearby Elephant Island. Once they reached Elephant Island, they found one of their life boats, and used it to sail to South Georgia, to get help at a whaling station there. Shackleton realized that they only had a maximum of four weeks to reach the island. If it took longer then that, they were done for. They launched the boat, known as the James Caird, on April 24, 1916. It took fifteen days for them to reach South Georgia. Once they reached the island they were assisted, by the Chilean government, in rescuing the rest of their men from Elephant Island. The Aurora and her crew had drifted out to sea, and eventually made it back safely to New Zealand. Whats most impressive about this expedition, is that no man, who was on Endurance, was lost. They were even able to set up a few supply depots, before things went bad. This expedition, while it did not accomplish everything that was intended, was still very impressive, and was an extreme feat of nautical genius.

Map of the Imperial-Trans Arctic Expedition

Endurance trapped in the ice floe.

Shackleton and his men launching the James Caird off Elephant Island.

Stay tuned next week for another installment of Throwback Thursday. Be sure to contact Moore Historical Consulting for all your historical research and heritage management needs. 

Wild Bill Hickok

James Butler Hickok, commonly referred to as "Wild Bill," was one of the Old West's most colorful characters. It is unknown how he got the nickname "Wild Bill." Throughout his life he was involved in many activities and changed professions on numerous occasions. His story began at the Pony Express Station in Rock Creek, Nebraska. Hickok, who was twenty-four years old at the time, had been working for the Pony Express. According to legend, he got into a fight with a bear. It is unknown how this happened, but accounts state that he was able to cut its throat, before it could do more serious damage to him. It is believed that the first man Hickok killed was David McCanles. McCanles, in a fit of rage, stormed into the Rock Creek relay station and demanded an overdue property payment from the station manager Horace Wellman. McCanles reportedly threatened Hickok and Wellman, leading Hickok to shoot him. During the Civil War Hickok served as a teamster for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri. After the war, he served as a guide for William Tecumseh Sherman. It was after the Civil War, that Hickok took up gambling. While in Springfield, Missouri, Hickok and a local gambler named Davis Tuitt got into an argument over an unpaid gambling debt. The argument got so far out of hand, that they had a shootout in the Springfield town square. Tuitt drew first, but he was no match for Hickok's fast draw. Hickok cut Tuitt down on the spot. Hickok was initially arrested and charged with murder, the charge later became manslaughter, and was later ruled a fair fight. After leaving Springfield, Hickok was appointed deputy marshal at Fort Riley, Kansas. Part of his job requirements were to serve as a scout for General George Armstrong Custer during the Indian War. Hickok was thought to be a "hater of Indians," but there is no proof of him actually engaging in battle with Indians. Hickok eventually moved to Hays, Nebraska, and took the position of U.S. Marshal. In his first month as marshall he killed two men. Both men had been involved in saloon disturbances. After serving as Marshal in Hays, he left and went to Abilene, Texas.  Hickok's most famous action in Abilene was a shootout with saloon owner Phil Coe. Coe and his business partners had bought and put up a painting depicting a "bull" in an inappropriate way. After asking the men to take the painting down, Hickok did it himself. This led to Hickok and Coe getting involved in a shootout. Once again Hickok outdrew his opponent and killed Coe. After leaving his position as U.S. Marshal, Hickok joined Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. By all accounts, he was not very good at acting, and left the show after a short time. This led Hickok to take up gambling more seriously. While playing poker in a town in Dakota territory, a drunkard by the name of Jack McCall felt that he had been cheated by Hickok. McCall left, but came back later and shot Hickok in the back of the head, while Hickok was still playing. McCall was later arrested, tried, and executed for the murder of Hickok. Wild Bill Hickok was truly a "Wild Man," and his story is the stuff of legend, but as far as the Wild West goes, his life was fairly normal.

This picture from "Harpers Weekly" magazine depicts the shootout between Hickok and Tuitt in Springfield, Missouri.

Hickok's star on the Texas Trail of Fame, in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Stay tuned next week for another Throwback Thursday blog post, right here on Tales from Tennessee and Beyond. Be sure to check out the section devoted to Moore Historical Consulting. Put me to work for you.