USA > Tennessee > Davidson County > Nashville > History of Nashville, Tenn. > Part 16
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On the 28th of September, 1854, a cistern was authorized to be built on the public square, by an act passed by the Mayor and Aldermen
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that day. The cistern was to hold one thousand barrels of water. Much was said at the time by a portion of the populace against the construc- tion of this cistern, on the ground of its being a waste of the people's money; but when the great fire occurred which destroyed the Nashville Inn and the court-house its great utility became clear to all. In fact, it was plainly seen then that had it not been for the existence of the cistern at that time, the entire public square would have been wiped out by the flames. But the growth of the city was such that voluntary fire compa- nies, with hand engines, became inadequate to the safety of property. On July 29, 1860, therefore, as stated before, a steam Fire Department was established under a paid system. According to Section I of the act creating the Fire Department, it was to consist of not more than five com- panies, which were to be organized from time to time as steam fire-en- gines could be obtained. According to Section 2 of this act, when three or more companies had been organized a Chief Engineer was to be elected by the Council for one year, and each company was to consist of one engineer, two pipemen, two privates, and one hostler. The salary of the Chief Engineer was fixed at $1,000 per annum; the salaries of the company engineers, at $800 each; those of the pipemen, at $600 each; each private was to receive $400 per annum, and each hostler the same as each private. On the 14th of March, 1862, the wages of the private members of each company was raised to $40 per month, and salaries of the company engineers were raised to $900 per annum. In July, 1864, the wages were increased so that the Chief Engineer received thereafter $125 per month; the company engineers, $110 per month; one pipeman, $80 per month; two pipemen, $75 per month; and other employees, $70 per month. The first Chief Engineer was John S. Dashiell. John M. Seabury was elected Chief Engineer November 13, 1862, but resigning in October, 1863, he was succeeded by L. M. Freeman. At this time there were three fire companies in existence-Eclipse, No. 1; Hamilton, No. 2; and Deluge, No. 3. Joseph Irwin was engineer of the first; Richard Horn, of the second; and William H. Smith, of the third.
The Fire Department continued to grow with the growth of the city. In 1880 there were four companies: Hugh McCrea, No. 1; Hamilton, No. 2; Deluge, No. 3; and William Stockell, No. 4. In addition to these regular fire companies there was a hook and ladder company. Each fire company was composed of eight men, whose salaries ranged from $75 per month down to $25 per month. The hook and ladder company con- sisted of five men, whose salaries were the same. William Stockell, the Chief, received $125 per month. The expenses of the Fire Department for the year ending September 30, 1880, were $31,173.64. For the year
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1881 the expenses of the department were $31,185.95. For the year ending September 30, 1885, the expenses were $48,148.32. E. M. Ca- rell was then Chief of the department, and the number of engine com- panies had been increased to six. For the year ending September 30, 1886, the expenses of the department were $48,838.65. For the year ending September 30, 1887, they were $49,115.14. For the year ending September 30, 1888, they were $57,672.51; and for the year ending September 30, 1889, $55,738.39.
The Fire Alarm Telegraph was placed in operation January 20, 1875. A chemical engine company was added to the department during the year ending September 30, 1888, so that the department now consists of six steam engine companies, one chemical engine company, and one hook and ladder company. Each company has eight men, except the chemical engine company, which has five. The Fire Department is one of the best equipped and most efficient in the country.
Since 1863 the organization of the Police Department has been as fol- lows :
1864 .- City Marshal, John Chumbley; six deputies and four members of the day police. Night police: Henry A. Chumbley, Captain; two lieutenants and thirty watchmen.
1865 .- City Marshal, James H. Brantley; eight deputies; Chief De- tective, R. M. Cavitt. Night police: A. J. Heald, Captain; two lieu- tenants and thirty watchmen.
1866 .- City Marshal, James H. Brantley. Night police: R. S. Pat- terson, Captain, and four lieutenants.
1867 .- City Marshal, John Chumbley; Captain, William E. Danley.
1868 .- City Marshal, A. A. Carter.
1869 .- City Marshal, James A. Brantley.
1870 .- Board of Police Commissioners: James Haynie, A. C. Beech, and Matthew McClung. Captain, James Everett.
1871 .- James Haynie, A. C. Beech, and Thomas Parkes.
1872 .- P. Walsh, A. C. Beech, and Thomas Parkes.
1873 .- P. Walsh, W. H. Ambrose, and Thomas Parkes.
1874 .- The same as in 1873, and also in 1875 and 1876.
1877 and 1878 .- W. M. Duncan, George Stainback, and W. H. Am- brose.
1879 .- W. M. Duncan, C. B. Kuhn, and George W. Stainback.
1880 .- W. M. Duncan, C. B. Kuhn, and J. F. Turner.
1881 .- W. M. Duncan, W. C. Dibrell, and J. F. Turner. 1882 .- W. M. Duncan, J. F. Turner, and J. H. Wood.
W. H. Yater was Captain from 1871 to this time.
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1883 .- Chief, M. Kerrigan; Sergeants, W. E. McAlister, D. U. Burke, B. M. Hawkins, and H. Curran, and fifty patrolmen. The de- tectives were R. M. Porter and S. H. Fields.
1884 .- Chief and Sergeants the same; detectives, R. M. Porter and W. P. Casteen.
1885 .- Chief, M. Kerrigan; Sergeants the same, with the addition of W. P. Casteen; detectives, W. P. Casteen and S. H. Fields.
1886 .- The force was the same except that there was but one detec- tive-W. P. Casteen.
1887 .- Chief, J. H. Clack; Sergeants, W. E. McAlister, D. U. Burke, B. M. Hawkins, and H. Curran; detective, W. P. Casteen.
1888 .- Chief, J. H. Clack; same Sergeants.
1889 .- Chief, J. H. Clack; same Sergeants.
1890 .- Important changes were made in the police force February 28, in a partial reorganization of the force. J. H. Clack was retained as Chief; George W. Campbell was appointed First Lieutenant: W. P. Casteen, Second Lieutenant; Henry Curran, Third Lieutenant; D. U. Burke, First Sergeant; Owen McGovern, Second Sergeant; and W. T. Baker, Third Sergeant.
On March 27, 1883, the General Assembly of the State granted a new charter to the City of Nashville. According to this act, the corporate authorities of all cities controlled thereby are vested in a Mayor and City Council, a Board of Public Works and Affairs, and such officers as are appointed in pursuance of law. The Board of Public Works and Affairs is composed of three members, who are elected by the City Council to serve six years, except at the first election one member was elected to serve two years, one four years, and the other six years. Every two years one member of the Board is elected to serve six years. This Board has exclusive power over the Water-works Department, Police De- partment, Fire Department, and Work-house, including all the employees in these departments of the city government. It also has exclusive con- trol over the streets, public wharves and landings, and over all public buildings within the city.
The first Board of Public Works and Affairs was composed of R. Ewing, M. Nestor, and Alexander Porter. R. Ewing was elected in 1883 for two years, and in 1885 was re-elected for six years; in 1887 T. A. Kercheval was elected; and in 1889 M. Nestor was re-elected, so that the Board of Public Works and Affairs now consists of R. Ewing. T. A. Kercheval, and M. Nestor.
Additions to the corporate extent have been made from time to time. Previous to the additions made by the Legislature which convened in ex-
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tra session February 24, 1890, the area of the city was 4,021 acres, or about 61/3 square miles. The additions made by that Legislature ap- proximate 1,200 acres. The population within the corporate limits is estimated at 90,000. The receipts of the City Treasurer for the year ending September 30, 1889, amounted to $1,219,068.89, and the dis- bursements were $1,077,571.10. The assets of the city amount to $3,- 206,309.98, and the liabilities, $2,727,871.43, The bonded debt amounts to $2,605,400. In 1880 the value of taxable property was $15,249,575; in 1889, $30,233,245.
On January 7, 1850, a general incorporation act was passed, under which an election was held in South Nashville, March 29, 1850, to ascer- tain whether the inhabitants of said town would avail themselves of the privileges of the act. This question being determined affirmatively, a petition was sent to the County Court by a committee appointed by the in- habitants of that portion of territory south and south-east of Nashville de- siring to be incorporated. The boundaries of this territory were as fol- lows: Beginning at the south-east corner of the corporation of Nashville on the Cumberland River, and running thence with the line of said corpora- tion to the south-west corner of High Street; thence along High Street to the line of the college lands crossing said High Street; thence along said line in a westwardly direction to the west side of the railroad; thence in a south-eastwardly direction and parallel with said High Street across the Franklin turnpike-road, and holding the same direction until it strikes the dividing line between the property of the late Judge Overton and the late Joseph W. Morton; thence in an eastwardly direction and following the dividing line between the property of Humphreys & Bilbo and Gibson Merritt till it strikes the Nolensville pike; thence in a north- eastwardly direction to the first mile-post on the Murfreesboro turnpike- road, and continuing the same direction until it strikes the dividing line of William B. Lewis's and Murray & Claiborne's property; thence with said line and in the same direction until it strikes the Cumberland River; and thence following the said river to the place of beginning.
The petition was signed by Isaac Paul, Hugh Carroll, Elisha Hall, West H. Humphreys, Samuel Kingston, and John S. Petway. The pe- tition was granted, but the old cemetery and the water-works were ex- cluded from the liabilities and jurisdiction of the corporation. An elec- tion for Aldermen, to serve until January 1, 1851, was then held, the successful candidates being James Morgan, James M. Murrell, C. K. Winston, Cyrus Macy, W. W. Parks, Joseph W. McEwen, and Isaac Paul. These persons being duly notified of their election, met at Elysi- an Grove, the home of Isaac Paul, April 16, 1850. Upon entering upon
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the duties of their office, each of them took the following oath: " We and each of us do solemnly swear that we will support the Constitution of the State of Tennessee and the Constitution of the United States, and we will faithfully discharge the duties of Aldermen of the corporation of South Nashville to the best of our ability."
The Board being thus organized, appointed William L. Nance Secre- tary and Isaac Paul Mayor. At a meeting held at Temperance Hall April 29 by-laws were adopted for the government of the Board of Aldermen. Committees were then appointed as follows : On Streets-Parks, Morgan, and Murrell; on Finance-Winston, Macy, and McEwen; on Police- Murrell, Winston, and Morgan. A contract was then made with C. W. Nance to survey the plat of the corporation for $30.
One of the first important acts of the corporate authorities of South Nashville was the purchase from Dr. Hadley, for $10,000, payable in four equal annual installments, of his lot of ground on the river for a wharf. This was on May 25, 1850, and on the same day Isaac Paul was elected Assessor. A bill to prevent the selling of liquors and to suppress gaming was adopted July 27. On November 23 every day in the week except Sunday was made a market-day; and on the same day the Board struck a blow at monopolists, in the following section of a bill to regulate the mar- ket-house :
" Section 5. It shall not be lawful for two or more persons to combine to raise the price of any article, or to prevent it from being sold under a price fixed by them."
An election for Aldermen was held Saturday, January 4, 1851, result- ing in the election of Isaac Paul, James M. Murrell, James Morgan, Cy- rus Macy, C. K. Winston, W. W. Parks, and Joseph W. McEwen. Isaac Paul was then elected Mayor; William L. Nance, Recorder and Treasurer; N. P. Corbit, Constable; and Eli Morris and John Corbit. Assessors.
At a called meeting of the Board, held soon afterward, the Assessors made a report, showing that the taxable property in the corporation was as follows: Real estate, $873,548; slaves, $67,758; personal property, $5,245. Total, $946,551. The number of voters was 335; scholastic population, 544; number of polls, 297; entire population, 1,779. The entire amount of taxes levied for the year was $4,038.65. Of this amount there was the sum of $3,786.20, four mills on $946,551; $252.45 was levied on 297 polls, or 85 cents each. The school taxes amounted to one- fourth of $3,786.20, or $946.55, and 25 of $263.45, or $74.25, a total of $1,020.80.
On July 6 a committee previously appointed to wait upon Mayor Paul
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and request his resignation reported that, in deference to the wishes of the people of South Nashville, Mayor Paul had resigned. Alderman Winston was thereupon elected Mayor. Mr. Macy at the same time re- signed as Alderman, and an election immediately held to fill the vacancy resulted in the choice of Eli Morris. James Morgan, one of the Alder- men, died about November 12, 1851, and on November 22 J. H. L. Weaver was elected to fill the vacancy.
At the regular election for Aldermen, held January 3, 1852, the follow- ing were elected: Hugh Carroll, Charles Conger, W. A. Corbit, J. W. McEwen, W. Meacham, James M. Murrell, and C. K. Winston. W. L. Nance was elected Recorder and Treasurer.
On January 29, 1852, the charter of the town was amended so as, among other things, to provide for the division of the town into wards. About this time the question of uniting the two towns of Nashville and South Nashville began to attract considerable attention. A meeting was held on Wednesday, March 31, 1852, to consider a series of propositions from the Mayor and Aldermen of Nashville, looking to the union of the two corporations, which was referred to a committee consisting of Messrs. McEwen, Conger, and Carroll. This committee reported on April 2 in favor of holding an election April 10, 1852, for the purpose of ascertain- ing the will of the people of South Nashville on the subject.
Some time during this same year the town of South Nashville was di- vided into four wards, and on Saturday, January I, 1853, an election was held for Mayor and Aldermen, resulting as follows: Mayor, William L. Nance; Aldermen, C. K. Winston, Jacob Milliron, Thomas G. Tucker, William L. Jones, James M. Murrell, John S. Petway, and Thomas Elli- ot. A. P. Skipwith was elected Recorder; and Isaac Paul and C. H. Conger, Assessors.
On Thursday, April 7, 1853, the corner-stone of the new University buildings was laid, and the authorities of South Nashville were in attend- ance. W. A. Davis was elected April 12, 1853, to fill the vacancy in the Board of Aldermen, caused by the death of W. A. Corbit. April 19 a meeting was held to consider the question of consolidation with Nash- ville, and Mayor Nance and Aldermen Winston and Murrell were ap- pointed a Committee of Conference.
Thomas Elliott resigned as Alderman from the Fourth Ward June 6, 1853, and on July 5 Joseph Griffin was elected to the vacancy. On July 23 T. G. Tucker resigned, and on August 2 P. Plunket was elected to the vacancy.
On November 10, 1853, the Mayor and Aldermen of Nashville ap- pointed a committee of three to confer with the authorities of South Nash-
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ville upon the subject of consolidation, the committee consisting of Dash- iell, Lanier, and Downs.
On January 7, 1854, the following officers were elected in South Nash- ville: Mayor, William L. Nance; Aldermen, C. K. Winston and J. W. McEwen, C. F. Wright and R. G. Rieves, James M. Murrell and W. A. Davis, B. Lanier and John Elroe. On January 30, 1854, J. H. L. Weaver was elected Treasurer, and Dr. A. A. Hatcher Recorder.
On July 5, 1854, the efforts which had been for some time in progress, looking toward the consolidation of the two towns, began to take definite shape. The following resolution was adopted:
" That the Mayor of South Nashville be instructed to notify the Mayor of Nashville that the articles of union agreed upon by the joint committee appointed for the purpose, and as amended by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Nashville, have been unanimously ratified by this Board, subject to the vote of the people to be held July 15, 1854."
This vote was in favor of the union by 261 for to 26 against, and on July 15 the corporation of South Nashville was divided into two wards, to be known as the Seventh and Eighth Wards of Nashville. All that por- tion of the town of South Nashville lying east of College Street was to be known as the Seventh Ward, and all that portion lying west of College Street was to be known as the Eighth Ward.
On July 17 the city of Nashville ratified the union. The articles of union were substantially as follows :
Article I. provided that the corporation of South Nashville should be divided into two wards.
Article II. provided that all the property of South Nashville should be ceded to the city of Nashville, the latter to pay all debts of the former.
Article III. provided that the wharf property of South Nashville, im- mediately above the water-works, should be perpetually used for wharf purposes.
Article IV. provided that the city of Nashville was to extend the water, with the usual number of fire-plugs, along Market and Cherry Streets to Franklin Street, and also to the north of Slades, on the Lebanon turn- pike, within the years 1855 and 1856.
Article V. provided that the public schools of South Nashville should be sustained by the corporation of Nashville as they were then, until a general system of public education should be established by the Common Council of Nashville.
Article VI. provided that all the officers of the town of South Nashville should remain in office until the expiration of the terms for which they had been elected.
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Article VII. provided that there should be held an election for Alder- men from the two wards into which South Nashville had been divided.
Article VIII. provided that when the foregoing articles had been rati- fied by the two corporations, in accordance with an act of the General Assembly passed January 29, 1852, the two towns should become one.
The joint committee consisted of William L. Nance, Charles K. Win- ston, and James M. Murrell, of South Nashville; and John S. Dashiell, W. H. Horn, and John Coltart, of Nashville.
A petition for the incorporation of Edgefield, signed by forty-five citi- zens of the territory desired to be incorporated, was presented to the County Court of Davidson County April 27, 1868. The boundaries of the proposed incorporation, as set forth in the petition, were as follows :
"Beginning in the center of the Cumberland River, due west from where Crutcher Street intersects said river; thence east to Crutcher Street, and with said street east along the north boundary line of the lands of Dr. John Shelby, deceased, to the west side of the White's Creek pike; thence crossing said pike and running in an eastwardly direction to the south of Marino Street at the Lischey pike; thence east with said street, it being the north boundary line of Foster's addition to Edgefield and the lands of Neill S. Brown, this being the north boundary of District No. 17, to the Driver road; thence south with the Driver road to Lawrence Finn's north-west corner; thence east with his line, it being the line of O'Donnell & Cooke, to the Gallatin pike; thence southwardly with said pike to a point near Hobson's Chapel; thence with Church Street south- wardly, it being Nicholas Hobson's west boundary line, to the north bank of said Cumberland River, and continuing to the center of said river, and thence down the center of said river to the beginning."
The question of the corporation was voted on April 22, 1868, and at this election there were cast in favor of incorporating the place 86 votes, to 29 against it. The inspectors of election were John York, A. G. San- ford, J. R. Cowan, and J. B. Canfield.
On January 2, 1869, an election was held, at which the first Board of Aldermen was chosen as follows: W. A. Glenn, Frank Sharp, J. S. Woodford, G. J. Stubblefield, Harvey Campbell, A. G. Sanford, and J. C. Guild. The first meeting of this Board was held January 6, 1869, at which F. G. Roche was elected Secretary and W. A. Glenn Mayor. A committee to prepare a code of by-laws was appointed, and also one on salaries. It was decided that the Mayor and Aldermen should serve with- out pay. On January 13 it was decided that the officers necessary to carry on the business of the Board were a Recorder, a Treasurer, a Con -. stable, a Civil Engineer and Surveyor, a Street Overseer, and an Assess-
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or. On January 18 Coleman's Hall was selected as the place for hold- ing the meetings of the Board. The salaries of such officers as were to receive pay were also fixed at that time. The Recorder's salary was fixed at $250; that of the Engineer and Surveyor, at $1,500; the Assess- or's, at $400; the Street Commissioner's, at $3 per day when actually em- ployed; the Constable's, at $400; the Treasurer's, at $200. James T. Bell was elected Recorder; T. S. Blair, Street Commissioner; J. B. Clements, Engineer and Surveyor ; J. W. Settle, Treasurer ; J. B. Canfield, Assessor; and J. T. Crowdis, Constable. On January 27 a Committee on Streets was appointed, as follows: Woodford, Campbell, and Stubble- field; and on February 10 other committees were appointed: On Fi- nance, Sanford, Guild, and Campbell; on Schools, Campbell, Sharp, and Guild; on Police, Stubblefield, Woodford, and Sanford; on Improve- ments and Expenditures, Guild, Sharp, and Campbell. For some time after the creation of this Board it was constantly engaged in improving the streets and in the abatement of nuisances. Among the nuisances abated were several ponds and open wells.
On February 24 W. R. Demonbreun was elected Revenue Collector, and on May 26 the Treasurer submitted a statement of receipts and dis- bursements since entering on his duties. He had received from the Mayor, $250; from the Recorder, $155.50; from the Revenue Collect- or, $1,170; and from the Justice of the Peace, $32-making $1,607.50 in all. The total expenditures had been $404.76.
A census of Edgefield, taken June 1, 1869, showed the following re- sults : Whites : Male, 1,250; female, 1, 154. Colored : Male, 425; female, 628. Total population, 3,457. Frame houses, 566; brick houses, 109. Total, 675. There were three Methodist churches, one Presbyterian, one Baptist, one Episcopal, and one Catholic.
On June 9 T. J. Hopkins was elected Alderman in place of Mr. San- ford, who had removed from the town; and on the 23d of the same month Mr. Hopkins was appointed Chairman of the Finance Committee.
In January, 1870, the following Aldermen were elected: Alexander Joseph, J. P. Barthell, G. W. Jenkins, W. A. Glenn, Philip Olwill, Rob- ert Stewart, Sr., and Jackson B. White. The latter gentleman was elect- ed Mayor by the Aldermen. On January 24 J. T. Bell was elected Re- corder; J. T. Crowdis, City Marshal; William Jenkins, Assessor; and Harvey Campbell, Treasurer.
Early this year the charter was amended, and the corporation divided into six wards. On May 9, 1870, Andrew Poston and Hugh Robertson took their seats in the Council as Aldermen from the Sixth Ward; W. C. Parrish, from the Fifth Ward; O. S. Lesseur, from the Second Ward :
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and William Burns, from the Fourth Ward. Mayor White thereupon tendered his resignation, and he was immediately re-elected by a vote of 9 to I. Mr. Buttorff was then elected Alderman from the First Ward, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Mr. White to the Mayoralty. Treasurer Campbell having resigned, J. H. Dodd was elected to the posi- tion September 19, 1871.
At the election held Saturday, January 7, 1871, the following Aldermen were elected: First Ward, W. H. Morrow and J. N. Brooks; Second Ward, O. S. Lesseur and Hugh Thompson; Third Ward, J. P. Barthell and W. C. Hudnall; Fourth Ward, G. W. Jenkins and W. M. Murray; Fifth Ward, Robert Stewart and W. P. Marks; Sixth Ward, Andrew Poston and Charles Johnston. W. A. Glenn was elected Mayor; J. P. Hutchison, Constable; Alexander Joseph, Revenue Collector; John Mc- Clelland, Assessor; J. H. Dodd, Treasurer; T. S. Blair, Street Commis- sioner.
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