Visit Historic Nashville
The city of Nashville, Tennessee has a very rich history that dates back many centuries with a well-deserved reputation for good food, musical innovation, and Southern hospitality. These are the many reasons Continuing Education Company holds CME conferences here.
The land that would later become the city was first settled by Native Americans in the 1400s who used the fertile soil by the Cumberland River to grow their crops most notably corn. The tribes that called this land home were known for making large burial mounds and constructing beautifully intricate pottery. The land would later be explored by French fur traders who were the first Europeans to explore the American midwest. The city would not be officially founded until Christmas Eve in 1779 by James Robertson, John Donelson, and a group of American frontiersmen.
By the mid-nineteenth century, the city began to explode in population with many people moving to the city to seek their fortunes. Nashville had a great reputation as an important trade city because of its direct access to the Cumberland River. Numerous railroads were soon constructed to bolster the demand for the numerous goods passing in and out of the city. Cash crops such as hemp and tobacco were grown on nearby plantations to meet the economic demands of the north and the land around the city was well known for breeding strong horses and healthy livestock. The city was also known as one of the biggest centers for slave auctions. Numerous African Americans were brought to the city to be bought and sold to either plantation families in Tennessee or to plantations further down in the American South. By the time of the American Civil War, the city was one of the first to be attacked by the Union who wanted to secure its railways and access to the Cumberland River to restrict trade between the other Southern States. The Union’s capture of the city proved a key victory to push troops further into the Confederacy’s Western front. After rejoining the Union the city again began to experience a trading boom and gained the reputation as the Athens of the South. In honor of this nickname, they constructed a full scale replica of the Greek Parthenon in 1897 which can still be visited today in Centennial Park.
By the twentieth century, the city would gain a new and important reputation that it still holds today that being the City of Music. During the 1920s numerous Black musicians in the city began to innovate the new genres that would later become known as Jazz and the Blues. The music halls and speakeasies that housed these performers gave many musicians their start and brought numerous visitors to the city to hear these bands perform. Nashville’s nickname was officially cemented in 1941 with the founding of WFC, the first commercial radio station in the United States. Many record labels were soon founded in the city and Nashville would soon become a Mecca for rock, country, honky-tonk, and numerous other music genres boasting artists like the legendary Elvis Presley. However, it wasn’t just musicians that this city gave its start to as iconic television presenter Oprah Winfrey became the first African American news anchor for the city of Nashville and an important stepping stone to her later career as a talk show host.
When you visit Nashville today all this amazing history and so much more can be explored with numerous different historical and music tours available. Don’t miss your chance at being able to explore one of America’s newest and hottest tourist destinations down in Nashville, Tennessee.
Upcoming CME Conferences & Online Learning
Want to attend a live CME conference in a beautiful locale or complete an online course from the comforts of home?
At Continuing Education Company, we provide you with options to make your medical continuing education fun, engaging, and relevant. Check out our conference calendar to view the dates and locations of upcoming conferences as well as the online learning courses and live streaming that are currently available. And, for a limited period of time, take advantage of our Special Offer! Attend one of our LIVE conferences in person and you will receive a FREE online 15 credit CME course from CME365™.