USA > Tennessee > Davidson County > Nashville > History of Nashville, Tenn. > Part 48
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1869 .- Dr. C. K. Winston, J. L. Weakley, Isaac Paul, George S. Kinney, A. G. Adams, J. O. Griffith, Charles Rich, John J. McCann, and James Whitworth.
1870 .- J. O. Griffith, John J. McCann, and Charles Rich, for one year ; Thomas H. Hamilton, Dr. C. K. Winston, and Joseph L. Weakley, for two years; George S. Kinney, L. G. Tarbox, and A. D. Wharton, for three years.
1871 .- J. B. Craighead, James T. Dunlap, Charles Rich, and Rev. A. J. Baird.
1872 .- Morton B. Howell, Joseph L. Weakley, Rev. Dr. Robert A. Young.
1873 .- George S. Kinney, L. G. Tarbox, A. D. Wharton, and R. C. McNairy.
1874 .- G. M. Fogg, Jr., A. B. Hoge, and Samuel Watkins.
1875 .- M. C. Cotton, G. Schiff, and Joseph L. Weakley.
1876 .- J. M. Dickerson, T. W. Hailey, and George S. Kinney.
'1877 .- Theodore Cooley, G. M. Fogg, and Morton B. Howell.
1878 .- George R. Knox, John Ruhm, and Joseph L. Weakley. 1879 .- R. B. Lea, T. W. Wrenne, and George S. Kinney.
1880-84 .- G. M. Fogg, T. W. Wrenne, T. Cooley, M. B. Howell, G. S. Kinney, George R. Knox, R. B. Lea, John Ruhm, and J. L. Weak- ley.
1884-85 .- G. M. Fogg, M. B. Howell, T. W. Wrenne, G. S. Kinney, G. R. Knox, B. J. McCarthy, T. E. Enloe, A. B. Hoge, and J. L. Weakley.
1885-86 .- M. B. Howell, T. E. Enloe, T. W. Wrenne, H. B. Mor- row, G. R. Knox, W. M. McCarthy, John Lawrence, and J. L. Weak- ley.
1886-87 .- G. M. Fogg, T. W. Wrenne, H. B. Buckner, H. B. Mor- row, G. R. Knox, W. M. McCarthy, John Lawrence, and J. L. Weak- ley.
1887-88 .- G. M. Fogg, T. W. Wrenne, H. B. Buckner, H. B. Mor- row, Ben Harman, E. G. Connette, John Lawrence, J. L. Weakley, and G. S. Kinney.
I888-89 .- G. M. Fogg, E. G. Connette, H. B. Buckner, Ben Her- man, George R. Knox, T. O. Morris, J. L. Weakley, and George S. Kinney.
447
EDUCATIONAL.
1889-90 .- G. S. Kinney, E. G. Connette, Ben Herman, George Knox, T. O. Morris, J. L. Weakley, T. W. Wrenne, M. B. Howell, and Will- iam H. Allen.
Following is a list of the officers of the Board of Education from the organization of the public school system in 1854 down to the present time:
Presidents : 1854-64, Francis B. Fogg; 1865-67, P. S. Fall; 1868-69, Eugene Cary; 1870-71, Dr. C. K. Winston; 1872-73, General James T. Dunlap; 1874-76, Samuel Watkins; 1877, Joseph L. Weakley; 1878- 79, G. M. Fogg; 1880-85, M. B. Howell; 1885-86, G. M. Fogg; 1887- 90, G. S. Kinney.
Secretaries : 1854-58, John A. McEwen; 1859-60, M. H. Howard; 1861-67, J. W. Hoyte; 1868-69, R. G. Jamison; 1870, Joseph L. Weak- ley; 1871, A. D. Wharton; 1872, S. Y. Caldwell; 1873, A. D. Whar- ton; 1874, L. G. Tarbox; 1875-76, A. B. Hoge; 1877-78, T. W. Ha- ley; 1879, T. W. Wrenne; 1880-82, T. Cooley; 1883-84, Morton B. Howell; 1884-85, T. E. Enloe; 1885-86, T. W. Wrenne; 1887-88, E. G. Connette.
Superintendents of Schools : 1854-61, Joshua F. Pearl; 1861-62, James L. Meigs; 1862-65, office vacant; 1865, Joshua F. Pearl; 1866-69, Pro- fessor C. D. Lawrence; 1869-86, Professor S. Y. Caldwell; 1889-90, Z. H. Brown.
Following is a list of the Principals of the various public schools, from their establishment to the present time :
1855-56 .- High School, L. G. Tarbox; Hume, W. B. Thompson; Trimble, S. Y. Caldwell.
1856-57 .- High School, L. G. Tarbox; Hume, W. B. Thompson ; Trimble, S. Y. Caldwell; Hynes, R. Dorman.
1857-58 .- High School, L. G. Tarbox; Hume, W. B. Thompson; Trimble, S. Y. Caldwell; Hynes, R. Dorman.
1858-59 .- High School, L. G. Tarbox; Hume, A. J. Caldwell; Hynes, R. Dorman; Lincoln Hall, J. L. Weakley; Trimble, S. Y. Cald- well.
1859-60 .- High School, L. G. Tarbox; Hume, A. J. Caldwell; Hynes, R. Dorman; Trimble, S. Y. Caldwell; Lincoln Hall, J. L. Weakley; College Hill, H. M. Hale.
1860-61 .- High School, L. G. Tarbox; Hume. S. Y. Caldwell; Hynes, R. Dorman; Trimble, Miss Mary J. Noakes; Howard, M. J. Hale.
1861-62 .- High School, S. Y. Caldwell; Hume, A. C. Cartwright; Hynes, T. W. Haley; Trimble, Miss M. J. Noakes ; Howard, Rev. Dr. Reuben Ford.
448
HISTORY OF NASHVILLE.
1862-65 .- No schools.
1865-66 .- High School, C. D. Lawrence; Hume, B. S. Braddock; Hynes, A. C. Winter; Trimble, J. A. Owen; Howard, C. T. Adams; Ninth Ward, Z. H. Brown.
1866-67 .- High School, M. S. Snow; Hume, B. S. Braddock; Hynes, A. C. Winters; Trimble, J. A. Owen; Howard, C. T. Adams; Ninth, Ward, Z. H. Brown; Belle View, T. A. Hamilton; Lincoln Hall, T. W. Haley.
1867-68 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, S. Y. Caldwell; Hynes, Z. H. Brown; Trimble, Mary A. Soule; Howard, J. A. Owen; Ninth Ward, Alice H. Clemens; Belle View, G. W. Hubbard; Gun Factory, T. R. Adams.
1868-69 .- High School, C. T. Adams; Hume, W. M. Cole; Hynes, Z. H. Brown; Trimble, Mary A. Soule; Howard, J. A. Owen; Ninth Ward, Alice H. Clemens; Belle View, G. W. Hubbard; Gun Factory, T. R. Adams.
1869-70 .- High School, C. T. Adams; Hume, W. M. Cole; Hynes, Z. H. Brown; Trimble, Mary A. Soule; Howard, John A. Owen; Ninth Ward, Maggie W. Sieferle; Belle View, G. W. Hubbard; Gun Facto- ry, H. Breckenridge.
1870-71 .- High School, Z. H. Brown; Hume, Mary D. McLelland ; Hynes, Emma Clemens; Trimble, Y. A. Moffitt; Howard, John Bald- win; Ninth Ward, Alice H. Clemens; Belle View, G. W. Hubbard ; Gun Factory, Emma R. Smith.
1871-72 .- High School, Z. H. Brown; Hume, Mary D. McLelland ; Hynes, S. S. Woolwine; Trimble, Miss M. A. Cooper; Howard, John Baldwin; Ninth Ward, Maggie W. Sieferle; Belle View, G. W. Hub- bard.
1872-73 .- High and Hume, Z. H. Brown: Hynes, A. C. Cart- wright; Howard, S. S. Woolwine; Ninth Ward, Miss E. B. Moulton; Belle View (colored), G. W. Hubbard; Trimble (colored), C. F. Car- roll.
1873-74 .- High and Hume, Z. H. Brown; Hynes, E. Perkins; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Ninth Ward, C. P. Curd; Belle View, G. W. Hub- bard; Trimble, M. S. Austin.
1874-75 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, Z. H. Brown; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Hynes, E. Perkins; Ninth Ward, T. H. Hamil- ton; Eighth Grammar, G. B. Elliott; Belle View, J. W. Coyner; Trim- ble, R. A. Halley; Caper's Primary, Mrs. M. A. Douglass.
1875-76 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, Z. H. Brown; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Hynes, E. Perkins; Ninth Ward, T. H. Hamil-
449
EDUCATIONAL.
ton; Eighth Grammar, J. C. Redman; Belle View, J. W. Coyner; Trim- ble, R. A. Halley; McKee Primary, Mrs. M. R. Smith.
1876-77 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, Z. H. Brown; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Hynes, E. Perkins; Ninth Ward, T. H. Ham- ilton; Seventh Grade Grammar, J. C. Redman; Belle View, C. W. Munson; Trimble, R. A. Halley; McKee Primary School, Mrs. M. R. Smith.
1877-78 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, Z. H. Brown; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Hynes, E. Perkins; Ninth Ward, A. J. Calvert; Belle View, C. W. Munson; Trimble, R. A. Halley; McKee, Charles A. Halley.
1878-79 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, Z. H. Brown; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Hynes, E. Perkins; Ninth Ward, A. J. Calvert; Belle View, C. W. Munson; Trimble, R. A. Halley; McKee, P. L. Nichol.
1879-80 .- High School, A. D. Wharton; Hume, Z. H. Brown; How- ard, S. S. Woolwine; Hynes, G. B. Elliott; Ninth Ward, A. J. Calvert; Belle View, C. W. Munson; Trimble, R. A. Halley, Jr .; McKee, P. L. Nichol; Knowles Street, S. W. Crosthwait.
Fogg High School: A. D. Wharton, 1880-90. Howard: S. S. Wool- wine, 1880-85; Z. H. Brown, 1885-86; A. J. Calvert, 1887-90. Hume: Z. H. Brown, 1880-85; A. D. Wharton, 1886-88; Dora Bloomstein, 1888-89; Lavinia Currey, 1889-90. Hynes: G. B. Elliott, 1880-86; R. W. Jones, 1886-90. Main Street: A. J. Calvert, 1880-85; C. G. Rog- ers, 1885-87; H. C. Weber, 1887-90. Ninth Ward: C. G. Rogers, 1880-85; J. C. Shirley, 1885-86; H. C. Weber, 1886-87; H. B. North- cut, 1887-90. Searight: Miss N. Davis, 1879-80; R. M. Buddeke, 1880-82; E. Moore, 1882-84; G. B. Cullom, 1884-86; H. B. Northcut, 1886-90. Tarbox: Miss W. Williams, 1880-86; G. B. Elliot, 1886-90. Trimble: R. A. Halley, 1880-81; Miss S. V. Collins, 1881-83; J. C. Shirley, 1883-85; R. W. Jones, 1885-86; M. M. Ross, 1886-90. Cald- well: T. W. Hailey, 1888-90. Knowles Street: S. W. Crosthwait, 1880- 83; P. R. Burrus, 1883-84. Belle View: T. W. Hailey, 1880-83; S. W. Crosthwait, 1883-87; W. S. Thompson, 1887-90. McKee: Miss E. E. Moulton, 1880-81 ; Mrs. P. W. Otterson, 1881-82; J. B. Childress, 1882-84; P. R. Burrus, 1885-90. Meigs: R. S. White, 1882-90. Pearl : T. W. Haley, 1882-87; S. W. Crosthwait, 1887-90. Vandeville: J. C. Walker, 1880-82; H. A. Napier, 1882-83. Knowles and Vandeville have been discontinued.
The following table condenses the history of the public schools of Nashville for the past nineteen years into the briefest possible space, and
29
450
HISTORY OF NASHVILLE.
each column shows steady and commendable progress. The city has great cause to be proud of its public school system.
YEAR.
Boys.
Girls.
Total.
Average Number
Per Cent. of At-
Per Cent. of En-
Whole Number
Tardy.
diness.
|Number Pupils
to Teacher.
Cost per Pupil
for Tuition.
Total Cost per
Average Salary
to Teachers.
1870-71
1,763
1,798
3,56I
2,387
93.00
62.00
6,129
1.38
42 $14 12 $20 63 $654
1871-72
1,750
1, 308
3,558
2,478
95.35
66.50
3,287
0.70
42
16 81
21 13
683
1872-73
1,879
1,843
3,722
2,630
95.60
67.54
2,45I
0.49
45
16 91
21 89
684
1873-74
1,804
1,852
3,656
2,655
96.07
68.92
1,368
0.27
40
18 14
22 07
688
1874-75
1,967
2,031
3,998
2,950
96.63
71.28
I,II3
0.22
42
17 08
22
28
710
1875-76
2,005
2,154
4,159
3,062
96.1I
70.76
1,660
0.21
42
17 20
2I
75
675
1876-77
1,913
2,119
4,032
3,065
95.80
73.81
1,004
0.17
40
15 56
19 39
601
1877-78
2,008
2,227
4,235
3,258
95.70
73.62
1,357
0.22
43
14 42
17 80
601
1878-79
1,925
2,197
4,122
3,336
95.63
77.41
1,05I
42
14 55
I7 4I
599 544
1880-81
2,75I
3,094
5,845
4,58I
95.43
74.78
1,516
0.19
40
II
90
15 23
573
1881-82
2,769
3,276
6,045
4,765
95.62
75.56
I,O12
0.12
42
II
87
15 38
582 578
1882-83
2,870
3,298
6,168
4,635
95.18
71.47
709
0.08
36
I3
00
16 98
14 96
570
1884-85
3,309
3,746
7,055
5,819
95-52
78.72
695
0.07
0.06
44
12 42
14 16
585
1886-87
3,742
3,965
7,707
6,329 95-45
78.38
489
0.04
43
12 69
14 50
572
1887-88
3,623
4,100
7,723
6,423 95-57
79.49
373
0.03
39
13 31
15 71
58I
1888-89
3,584| 4,136 7,720 6,675 96.68 82.83|
188 0.016
40
13 00
16 19
569
2,869
3,229
6,098
4,573
94.87
70.49
2,377
0.29
48
II
30
14 34
1883-84
3,281
3,792
7,073
5,809
95-45 77-73
740
0.07
4º 40
12 03 12 85
14 73
580
1885-86
3,499
3,929
7,428
6,193
95-43
79.34
596
0.16
1879-80
TOTAL ENROLLMENT.
Belonging.
tendance.
rollment.
Per Cent. of Tar-
Pupil.
On March 24, 1869, H. C. Thompson, Robert McClay, and Josiah Gallimore, School Directors of Edgefield, presented a communication to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, regarding the erection of a school- house for the freedmen, which was referred to the School Committee. On the 9th of May Alderman White introduced a bill providing for the estab- lishment of a public school in Edgefield, and creating a Board of Educa- tion, which was adopted May 16, 1870. The first Board of Education un- der this act was composed of John Frizzell, George Searight, and A. G. Sanford. On September 5 the School Committee reported having se- cured Sanford's building in South Edgefield, and McFerrin's Chapel in North Edgefield. The colored school was permanent, the trustees of the Church having transferred the deed to the Board of Education. The committee said all that remained to be done was to purchase a lot and to build thereon a school-house for North Edgefield; and they then intro- duced a bill for that purpose, entitled, "An Act to Provide Additional School Accommodations." This bill was introduced for the purpose of accommodating the scholastic population of the Fifth and Sixth Wards. Three thousand dollars was appropriated, and the bill was read three times and passed that night. The Board of Education thereupon pur- chased for $500 a lot on the corner of Foster and Joseph Streets 150 feet square, and contracted with Edward Lawrence for the erection of the building. According to the contract the building was to cost $2,500.
451
EDUCATIONAL.
There were then in attendance upon the public schools of Edgefield 560 scholars. A. G. Sanford having removed from the town, James Morri- son was elected to fill the vacancy caused thereby on the School Board, which was constituted as follows on October 1, 1870: John Frizzell, President; George Searight, Treasurer; James Morrison, Secretary.
On December 9, 1870, a communication was received from Rev. B. Sears, Agent for the Peabody Fund, promising to send a check for $1,- 000 to assist the school of Edgefield. Professor Graham was Superin- tendent of the schools the first year; and, according to the report of John Frizzell, at the close of that year (January 2, 1871) there had been nine schools in operation-seven for white pupils and two for blacks. There was ample accommodation for every scholar seeking admission into the schools. These had one principal teacher, at $100 per month, commencing July 1, 1870. There were seven white and two colored as- sistants at salaries ranging from $40 to $60 per month. There were five schools in the building on Russell Street, which was rented at $600 per annum. Two schools had been in operation in McFerrin Chapel, in North Edgefield, which was rented temporarily at $25 per month, until the new school-building should be completed. For the two colored schools a house had been furnished by the colored people free of charge, the building having been erected for school purposes. Mr. Frizzell said that to the Honorable J. B. White was mainly due the credit for securing a donation of $2,000 from the Peabody Fund, $1,000 of which was pay- able January 4, and the other on March 4, 1871.
In a report of the Board of Education for the year ending June 30, 1872, they say that the schools were doing good work; that opposition to the system had almost ceased ; that the enrollment was 572 white and 173 colored pupils, making 745 in all. The scholastic population was 1,042; the aggregate expense, $7,230.09. Mayor Marks, having been elect- ed Superintendent of the public schools, resigned his office as Mayor on October 7, 1872; but his resignation was declined by the Board of Al- dermen. During the winter of 1872-73 Professor Charles H. Schultz taught vocal music in the schools free of charge. An election was held April 19, 1873, under the provisions of an act passed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen on April 7, 1873, entitled "An Act to Provide for the Erection of a School-house and the Purchase of a Lot of Ground in the Town of Edgefield." The proposition was to issue bonds for the purpose, and the election resulted in the casting of the following vote: 197 for the bonds and 58 against-more than a two-thirds vote in favor of the prop- osition. Lindsley's lot on Main Street (150x170 feet), between Foster and Minnick Streets, was selected for the site of the proposed new school-
452
HISTORY OF NASHVILLE.
house, for which $2,250 was paid. A contract was then made with Pat- ton & McInturff for the erection of a school-building, with bell-tower, to cost $10,921. John Lewis furnished the plans and specifications at 1 14 per cent. on the cost of the building, and superintended its construc- tion at the same rate.
According to the report of the School Committee made September I, 1873, the scholastic population was then 1,343, while the total population of the town was 4,844. An election was held September 23, 1873, to test the sense of the citizens on the question of issuing additional bonds for the purpose of adding another story to the new building on Main Street, which resulted in a vote of 123 to 50 in favor of the bonds.
On July 19, 1875, the President of the Board of Education made a report to the Board of Aldermen which showed that the scholastic popu- lation of Edgefield was 1,554; that the enrollment for the year had been 1,060; and that the monthly attendance had been 709. The total ex- penses had been $7,959.09, or $11.22 per pupil for the ten months of school. Eleven teachers had been employed besides the Superintendent, and there had been an average of 65 scholars to each teacher. The scholastic population was divided as follows: White: Male, 553; female, 543. Colored: Male, 206; female, 252. Total, 1,554.
W. P. Marks, the popular and efficient Superintendent of the Public Schools of Edgefield for five years, died about April 22, 1877, and was succeeded the next fall by George D. Hughes. At this time the Board of Education decided to reduce the expenses of the schools by reducing the salaries of the teachers. The salary of the Superintendent was placed at $1,000; that of the Principal of the Main Street school at $600; that of one other teacher at $500; those of ten other teachers at $400 each; one at $300; and one other at $250, thus reducing the total annual expense on account of teachers' salaries to $6,550, and saving on that account $181 per month. The following table presents the princi- pal statistics for the schools of Edgefield while they were in existence:
YEAR.
Receipts.
Expenses.
Scholastic
Population.
Monthly
Attendance.
Cost per Pupil
per Year.
1870-71.
$7,887 70
$7,662 83
1,145
1871-72.
7,898 30
7,717 76
1,042 435 $16 62
1872-73.
7,622 76
7,480 76
1,206 526
13 75
1873-74.
8,066 27
7,925 96
1,343 603
12 80
1874-75.
7,345 04
7,204 59
1,435 709
II 22
1875-76.
8,353 56
8,627 33
1,554 668
16 50
1876-77.
8,300 48
8,365 17
1,575 720
12 65
1877-78.
8,005 94
1,966 709
12 37
CHAPTER XVI.
CHURCH HISTORY.
Methodist Episcopal Churches, South-McKendree Church-West End Church-Carroll Street Church-Tulip Street Church-North Edgefield Church-City Mission-Trinity Church-Other Churches-Methodist Episcopal Church-Spruce Street Church-German Methodist Church-Clark Chapel - First Presbyterian Church -Second Presbyterian Church-First Presbyterian Church of Edgefield-Other Presbyterian Churches-Cumber- land Presbyterian Churches-First Baptist Church-Second Baptist Church-Central Bap- tist Church-Other Baptist Churches-Christ Episcopal Church-Church of the Holy Trin- ity-Other Episcopal Churches-First Christian Church-Woodland Street Christian Church-Other Christian Churches-Lutheran Church - Hebrew Churches - Catholic Churches-Churches of the Colored People.
"T is the concurrent testimony of all the writers on the history of Meth- odism in Middle Tennessee that Benjamin Ogden was the first mis- sionary of that faith to preach in the Cumberland country, and that this was in 1787. The Cumberland Mission embraced all the forts and set- tlements on the north side of the Cumberland from Clarksville up to Gallatin and beyond, of course including Nashville. At the end of Mr. Ogden's first year's labors he reported sixty-three members, four of whom were colored persons. He was succeeded on the Cumberland Circuit, which he had formed, by James Haw and Peter Massie. The next year Francis Poythress came to the circuit as presiding elder, with Thomas Williamson and Joshua L. Hartley as preachers. Wilson Lee was also one of the pioneer Methodists in the country, and it was he, ac- cording to Rev. J. B. McFerrin, who formed the first Society of Meth- odists in Nashville, of which through his influence both James Robert- son and his wife became members. Other prominent Methodists of that early day were Isaac Lindsey, William McNeilly, and Louis Crane. John Bell, Jonathan Stephenson, and Henry Birchett were among the early preachers in this vicinity. Rev. Mr. Massie died suddenly December 19, 1791, at the house of Mr. Hodges, near Nashville. According to John Carr, the first Methodist church that was built in Nashville was in 1789 or 1790, a stone building, and stood near the present location of the public square. It was soon removed to make room for business houses and dwellings. However private houses and the court-house on the pub- lic square were used after this.
On the 23d of April, 1796, the Legislature passed an "Act to Amend an Act to Establish a Town on the Cumberland River at a Place Called the Bluff, Near the French Lick, and for Other Purposes." Section 9 of this act was as follows:
454
HISTORY OF NASHVILLE.
"And whereas the religious society called the Methodists have erected a meeting-house on the public square in Nashville, and ought to have the use thereof secured to them ;
"Be it enacted, That the trustees of the town aforesaid shall and they are hereby authorized to execute a deed to five persons, such as the said Society shall appoint, for the land whereon the said house stands, to in- clude twenty feet on each side and end of said house, which shall vest in said appointees of said Society a title to and for the use, and with the express limitations following-viz., said meeting-house shall be and re- main to the use of said Society so far only as to give the right to their ministers to preach therein; but shall not extend to authorize them to de- bar or deny any other denomination of Christians the liberty of preach- ing therein, unless when immediately occupied by the said Society; no1 shall the said trustees have power to alien their title to the same to any person or persons whatever, except to the trustees of Nashville to and for the use of said town."
The above-mentioned meeting-house must have been the one erected in 1789 or 1790 at the south-east corner of the public square, for accord- ing to Mr. Nicholas Hobson, when he came to Nashville in 1807, "it was only a small village, principally of wooden buildings, not even afford- ing a house for the public worship of God." And circuit preaching was held at the house of Mr. Garrett from 1810 to 1812, in the latter year a church having been erected on the north side of Broad Street, between Vine and Spruce Streets. The lot upon which this church was erected cost $160, and the building erected thereon was a small brick structure afterward converted into a dwelling. It soon became evident that a mis- take had been made in the selection of a site for this church, and in the erection of a building which was too small. In 1817, therefore, George Poyser, one of the prominent business men of early Nashville, and sup- posed by some to have been an Englishman, gave to the trustees a lot fronting forty feet on Spring Street (now Church Street), and running back sixty feet. It was on the north side of the street about half-way between College and Cherry Streets. A church-building was erected on this lot covering all the ground. It was the principal Methodist church until 1833.
One of the prominent early Methodist ministers was the Rev. Colonel Green Hill. He was a member of the North Carolina Provincial Assembly in 1774, and the Financial Agent in 1776. He was a Revolutionary sol- dier, and by his biographers said to combine in his own person the patriot, philanthropist, and Christian. He preached in Nashville for the first time on Sunday, June 26, 1796. Zadick B. Thaxton was assigned to
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the Nashville Circuit in 1805, and preached in different parts of the coun- try until 1850 or 1851, when he died. But probably no man in the early days of Methodism in Middle Tennessee made a more lasting impression upon his times than did Rev. William McKendree, who was assigned to the Kentucky District in 1801. In 1808 he was on the Cumberland Dis- trict, which extended from Nashville to the Cumberland Mountains, in Tennessee and Kentucky, and thence into Illinois and Missouri. At the General Conference this year he was elected bishop, after which he made Tennessee his home and continued to labor for the Church until his death in 1835.
Nashville District was formed in October, 1811, and Nashville was in 1818 made a separate charge. In 1828 College Hill became a place of in- terest, and preaching was established in a little log house on Front Street. A commodious brick house of worship was erected about the same time near the Sulphur Springs for the colored people, which was thronged every Sunday with eager worshipers. In 1832 the old building on Church Street became too small for the growing congregation, and in 1833 a new edifice, called McKendree Church, was erected, the first ser- mon in which was preached by Rev. William McKendree. This build- ing was used until 1877, when a new and elegant church was erected. The Building Committee for this edifice was composed of George W. Smith, Dr. W. H. Morgan, James Whitworth, James Hawkins, and Newton McClure. The corner-stone of this new building was laid on May 8, 1877, by Bishop Paine. This new building was eighty feet by one hundred feet in size, exclusive of an alcove in the rear. There were three towers on the front, the middle one being two hundred and thirty- two feet high, and the two side ones being one hundred and thirty feet in height. The entire cost of this building, including the center tower, which cost $2,800, was about $30,000. This beautiful building was de- stroyed by fire in November, 1879, shortly after its completion. The present noble structure was erected soon after the destruction of the first one, and is in many respects an improvement upon that destroyed.
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