NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Once a thriving African American neighborhood, Bass Street rose from the determination of freed men and the descendants of those who built and defended Fort Negley during the Civil War. Founded in 1884, it bustled with homes, businesses, and community pride—until urban renewal in the 1950s and ’60s wiped it off the map. Bulldozers cleared Bass Street to make way for the I-40/I-65 interchange and what is now the Adventure Science Center.
In their documentary "What Happened to Bass Street?", Angela Sutton, Research Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University, and Jeneene Blackman, CEO of the African American Cultural Alliance, bring this lost community back to life. Sutton’s database has traced more than 19,000 ancestors linked to Fort Negley, while she and Blackman work to uncover Bass Street’s history and preserve its residents’ stories for generations to come.
Link to::
The Ft. Negley Builders and Defenders Database
Link to:
African American Cultural Alliance website
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