Old Natchez Trace
U.S. Congress passes legislation to establish a major post road between Nashville and Natchez, Mississippi. Following a treaty on October 24, 1801 with first the Chickasaw Indians and then a few weeks […]
Learn MoreThomas Brown is Born
Thomas Brown (1800-1870), the son of Joseph and Catherine Browne, was born on April 7th, 1800, in Brentsville in Prince William County, Virginia, and moved to Williamson County with his younger brothers […]
Learn MoreTennessee Becomes State
Tennessee becomes the 16th state admitted to the United States on June 1, 1796, giving Tennesseans their own government. New treaties and new roads bring more people into Middle Tennessee.
Learn MoreNashville Settled
Nashville is settled by James Robertson, John Donelson, and a party of Overmountain Men on Christmas Day, 1779. It was named for Francis Nash, the American Revolutionary War hero.
Learn MoreOld Town Abandoned
Old Town abandoned by Mississippians Native Peoples, driven out by the social and political disruptions following the megadroughts. The Mississippian way of life continues well into the 1600s in places like East […]
Learn MoreMega-Droughts
Middle Tennessee region experienced a series of megadroughts ‐‐ documented through tree rings.
Learn MoreStone-Box Grave
Nashville’s Mississippian peoples created a unique form of grave to house their honored dead – the stone-box grave. Since the first historic settlement of Nashville in 1779, literally tens of thousands of […]
Learn MoreSocial and Political Center
The Mississippian social and political center at Old Town reaches its peak of occupation.
Learn MoreMississippian Culture
Mississippian culture develops in Middle Tennessee – and possibly the beginnings of the Native settlement at Old Town.
Learn MoreCahokia Mounds
Mississippian culture emerges at Cahokia Mounds in southern Illinois – the largest Precolumbian city north of Mexico, and one of America’s World Heritage Sites recognized by the United Nations.
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