NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For years, community leaders and historians have pushed to preserve one of Nashville’s most significant Civil War landmarks. Now, long-awaited construction is officially underway at Fort Negley.
For Jeneene Blackman, the groundbreaking on Thursday marked a deeply personal milestone.
“When I first came to the fort, it felt heavy and now it feels free,” Blackman said.
Fort Negley is sacred ground to Blackman. Her ancestors were part of Nashville’s first post-Emancipation Black neighborhood — a community formed by the descendants of those who built and defended the fort during the Civil War.
“Bass Street sat at the foot of Fort Negley and there was a huge community,” she said.
Preserving that history has been central to Blackman’s work with the African American Cultural Alliance. She credits the organization’s former executive director, Kwame Lillard, with helping lead the fight to protect and properly honor the site.
“When he passed away in 2020, I said I wouldn’t let this die. I will continue fighting the fight and tell the stories,” Blackman said.
Fort Negley, built in 1862, once stood as the centerpiece of Union-occupied Nashville and remains the largest inland stone fortification constructed during the Civil War.
Enslaved and free Black people built the fort, many under forced and brutal labor conditions. Historians estimate that hundreds of Black laborers died during its construction, and many are believed to be buried on or near the site.
Phase one of the Fort Negley Master Plan includes transforming the former site of Greer Stadium into a memorial lawn dedicated to honoring those who built the fort and the community that followed.
Even as rain fell during the celebration, Blackman said she saw it as more than weather.
“The rain was the ancestors raining down on us — their tears of joy that we are now free,” she said. “We’re happy that this space is here in Nashville, Tennessee, for all to see.”
More information on the plan can be found here.
This story was reported by journalist Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
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