Fort Negley
Hours of Operation
Winter Hours (September - May)
Tuesday-Friday: Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
And by Appointment
Summer Hours (June - August)
Tuesday-Thursday: Noon - 4:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
And by Appointment
Fort Negley Park is open daily dawn to dusk
for self-guided walking tours
Gateway to Nashville’s Civil War past
A Path Divided: Tennessee’s Civil War Heritage
Trail Guide, a handbook to all interpreted and
memorialized Civil War sites in the state,
published by the Tennessee Wars Commission and
Driving Tour and Map of the Battle of Nashville
published by the Battle of Nashville Preservation
Society and the Metro Historical Commission are
available at the Visitor’s Center.
1100 Fort Negley Blvd
Nashville, TN 37203
Explore Nashville’s Civil War History at Fort Negley.
Come into the Visitors Center and learn how the Union Army captured Nashville in 1862 as you watch the film The Fall of Nashville. The river, turnpikes, and railroads had spurred the growth of the city from its beginnings. The Union Army occupied the city to control these transportation routes. Almost overnight, Nashville was transformed into the Union Army’s major supply depot for the Western Theater of the war.
Learn the story of the 2,768 people who built Negley. It was the largest of a group of forts built by the Union, and the largest inland masonry fort built during the Civil War. It was 600 feet long, 300 feet wide, and covered four acres of land. The workers lived in a contraband camp on the northeast side of the worksite, and were both free blacks and slaves who had been conscripted by the Union to serve as laborers. Between 600 and 800 died during the construction, and only 310 ever received pay.
See photos of Nashville during the Occupation and learn about the Fort’s architecture and artillery with interactive displays. A kiosk in the lobby provides a link to the National Park Service’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System where you can search for your Civil War ancestors.
Walk up the hill to the remains of Fort Negley. Enter through the sally port used by Union troops, gaze to the south from the observation deck, and imagine the lives of the men who worked and fought here and the citizens of Nashville whose lives would never be the same.
CONTACT US
Fort Negley Visitors Center (615) 862-8470
Tuesday - Friday, Noon – 4 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
and by appointment
Closed Sunday and Monday
Fort Negley Park
Open daily dawn to dusk for self-guided walking tours