Fort Nashborough

Fort Nashborough was the stockade for the settlement that became the city of Nashville and it was built by Scotch-Irish pioneers James Robertson and John Donelson and the other settlers.  The fort enclosed two acres on the bank of the Cumberland River and it provided shelter for the first settlers until Indian attacks ended in 1792.

Today a reconstruction stands on the banks of the Cumberland River near the site of the original fort.  The present historic site was reconstructed in 1930 and then rebuilt in 1962 on a smaller scale than the original two-acre enclosure.  The fort was recreated using the construction techniques of the early settlement, including rectangular single-pen cabins, combination limestone and wood chimneys, and the saddle notching of the logs.

The local Daughters of the American Revolution, led by Lizzie Elliott, funded the reconstruction of the fort as part of the organisation's national effort in the early 20th century to identify and preserve historic places.

Near the fort is a sculpture of the founders of Nashville, James Robertson and John Donelson.  The statue depicts them shaking hands in 1780 and represents the beginning of Nashville's history.