Nashville, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nashville, Mississippi
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Country | United States |
State | Mississippi |
County | Lowndes |
Elevation | 151 ft (46 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
GNIS feature ID | 687875 |
Nashville is a ghost town located in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, leaving behind empty buildings.
Nashville was once an important place for shipping goods and crossing the Tombigbee River. It is found about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) west of the Alabama state line, right on the east bank of the river.
Contents
The Story of Nashville
How Nashville Began
The area where Nashville once stood was first settled in 1824. A blacksmith named Daniel Young started living there. Because of him, the place became known as "Young's Bluff".
In 1833, new roads were built. One road went west from Young's Bluff to connect with the Robinson Road. This old road linked important cities like Columbus, Jackson, and Natchez. Another road was built heading east into Alabama.
Travelers and goods passed through Young's Bluff. They used a ferry owned by Daniel Young to cross the river.
A Town Takes Shape
Another early settler was Nimrod N. Nash. He opened a store in the area. In 1834, he bought Daniel Young's property. Nimrod Nash then renamed the town "Nashville" after himself. He started selling plots of land to other settlers.
Nashville became a busy little town. Its ferry service was very successful. Stores in Nashville supplied local farmers with things they needed. A post office was even set up in 1837. The town's port had places to store cotton. Steamboats would arrive in the late autumn and early winter when the river water was high enough.
Despite these activities, Nashville never grew very large. It was never officially made a city. The town never had more than two stores at a time. In 1840, about 55 white people lived there, along with an unknown number of enslaved people.
Why Nashville Disappeared
Facing Challenges
Nashville was built in a low-lying area. In 1847, a big river flood hit the town hard. This flood caused a lot of damage. By 1850, only one store was left in Nashville.
The town continued to decline. The post office closed in 1852. The voting area for Nashville ended the next year, in 1853. Many of the homes in the town were soon left empty.
Nashville still served as a small shipping port for a while. This continued until the American Civil War. The Nashville Ferry kept running for much longer, operating until sometime between 1967 and 1973.
Nashville Today
Today, the river at this spot is part of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway. This is a large canal system. Many small houses and cottages now line the east bank of the river.
There is a private boat launch in the area called "Nashville Ferry". The roads leading to the waterway on both sides of the river are still named "Nashville Ferry Road".