Graves Likely At Greer Stadium; Controversial Project Nixed

NASHVILLE, TN — The future of Greer Stadium is once again in doubt after the developers planning the controversial Cloud Hill project bowed out after a study determined it’s likely the site contains burial sites of slaves and “impressed black labor” who helped build Fort Negley during the Civil War.

A report from Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research shows that there are areas along the periphery of the property near Ft. Negley and Greer, the former home of the Nashville Sounds, that have undisturbed soils.

Combined with the historical record indicating that impressed slaves were likely buried in these areas during the construction of Fort Negley, it is highly likely that human remains are still present in these areas, according to a release from the mayor’s office.

Thus, Cloud Hill Partnership, the group chosen by Metro to develop the former Greer site and which had planned for a mixed-use development, has cancelled the project and Metro has cancelled its call for redevelopment, with Mayor Megan Barry saying the confirmation of what preservationists and historians had long suspected is reason to look for a new use for the Greer site, with TVAR suggesting the burial sites be incorporated into neighboring Ft. Negley Park.

“The likelihood of graves means that we should reassess plans for this site so as to better honor and preserve the history of the men and women who died in the construction of a fort that helped save the Union,” said Mayor Barry. “As we move forward, I want to see that whatever happens with the Greer Stadium site will honor that history, while bringing the community together around a shared vision. I have faith in the ability of all stakeholders to work together to identify and coalesce around this vision.”