Greenwood Park (Tennessee)
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| Greenwood Park | |
|---|---|
 The park entrance | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°08′39″N 86°43′21″W / 36.144067°N 86.722433°W |
| Area | 40-acre (0.16 km2) |
| Established | 1905 |
| Closed | 1949 |
Greenwood Park was the first urban park and recreation area established for African Americans in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][2] It was located on a 40-acre (16 ha) plot approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of downtown along Spence Lane between Lebanon Pike and Elm Hill Pike, across from Greenwood Cemetery.[1][3] The park was founded in 1905 by Preston Taylor, a wealthy minister and former slave.[1][4] It remained open until 1949.[4]
Natural features of the grounds included hills, dales, evergreen trees, and streams.[3] The park, which was lit by electric lights, also had a restaurant, theater, roller rink, roller coaster, shooting gallery, merry-go-round, zoo, swimming pool, and a baseball diamond.[3][4] The ballpark's grandstand had seating for a few thousand people and hosted the games of the independent minor league Nashville Standard/Elite Giants and local amateur Negro league teams.[3][5]
It was the home of a large annual fair hosted by the Tennessee Colored Fair Association.[6] The 1909 fair was to include oration by Booker T. Washington and music by the Fisk Jubilee Singers.[6]
The park was served by electric streetcars and was at the end of the Fairfield Street trolley line.[3]
