What's Out There guide: 9 historical facts you may not have known about Nashville landmarks

The Tennessean

A national foundation focused on connecting residents to the deep history of their communities has released a guide to Nashville's landmarks ahead of a weekend of free tours and events.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation released the What's Out There cultural landscape guide to Nashville this month. It is one of many components of a huge searchable database that spans more than two centuries of American landscapes, all of which are searchable by by landscape name, locale, designer, type and style.

Dozens of Nashville and Middle Tennessee landmarks have been included in the guide.

The facts below are just the tip of the historical iceberg in the archive. For more information on the guide, visit https://tclf.org/nashville.

A weekend of tours led by landscape architects, historians and academics are scheduled for April 13-14.

For more information on the free tours (registration is required), visit https://tclf.org/whats-out-there-weekend-nashville

1. Public Square Park has been a gathering place since the 18th century

Live on the Green — which brings tens of thousands of music lovers to Public Square Park each year — will kick off its 2016 season on Thursday, Aug. 11.

Originally operating as a public square from 1784 onward, the area was paved over in 1976. More modern sensibilities turned to revitalizing the public access aspect of the area, which led to the current plaza above and parking garage below, completed in 2008.

2. Reservoir Park once flooded Edgehill neighborhood

A1987 picture of The Nashville City Reservoir, now known as the 8th Avenue Reservoir, at the center of Reservoir Park.

In November 1912, a southeastern wall of the Eighth Avenue reservoir failed, sending 25 million gallons of water into homes in the area. Although much of the area south of it was converted to parkland in 1914, the reservoir is still in use.

3. The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge was the first to use support style in North America

Pedestrians cross the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge as the sun sets, Thursday, June 16, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.

Later named for late Tennessean editor John Seigenthaler, the bridge was originally constructed by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway in 1909. It was the first bridge in North America to be supported by arched concrete pillars. It was condemned in 1998, but revitalized and reopened in 2003.

4. The owner of Traveller's Rest once named it after the burial ground it was built upon

Standing on the roof of a veranda at Travellers' Rest, a firefighter searches for ways to reach the fire blazing in the attic of the historic old mansion Jan. 4, 1969. Firefighter crews had the blaze under control in a matter of minutes.

Originally called "Golgotha," or "hill of skulls," the home of Judge John Overton was named for the Native American village and sacred burial ground he decided to clear and use for his own purposes. The original land was gifted as a Revolutionary War grant to a previous owner. The building was also used as a Confederate headquarters during the Battle of Nashville. It was renamed for Overton himself, as a reference of his work as a traveling circuit judge.

5. Hadley Park opened on the Fourth of July

William Mac, 16, of West Nashville, demonstrates his diving technique to onlookers at the Hadley Park public swimming pool July 3, 1988.

The 30-acre park was one of the first parks in the country to be specifically built for the city's African American residents to enjoy when it opened on July 4, 1912. It sits on the site of the former John L. Hadley plantation. Accounts differ as to whether the park is named for that Hadley, called a "repentant slave owner" in the What's Out There guide, or Dr. W. A. Hadley, a prominent Africa American physician. Frederick Douglass purportedly delivered an address from the plantation's main house porch in 1873.

A huge throng greets the Washington Junior High School Band at the first Hadley Park Concert in the new concert arena June 5, 1966. Master of Ceremonies Don Q. Pullen, at the microphone, makes the introduction during dedication ceremonies for the $35,000 structure.

6. Once upon a time, there was a windmill in Shelby Park

A dreary Nashville day Dec. 31, 1981 has some attractive aspects as this aerial photo shows the railroad bridge across the Cumberland River near Shelby Park sharply contrasted with the Nashville skyline.

The original Shelby Park layout included several follies, including a Dutch style windmill, which was destroyed by a fire in 1940. The current footpath layout matches the original planting plan from 1919. Even now, a hidden spring, once called Cave Spring, bubbles up occasionally. The area's remnants include a grotto, fountain, stone steps, and pergola.

The shore of Shelby Park Lake is packed with youngsters during County Clerk Bill Covington's annual Junior Fishing Rodeo June 4, 1988.

7. Belmont Mansion was originally a summer home

If you are looking for something to do in Nashville for free, the garden behind the historical Belmont Mansion on the grounds of Belmont College, here July 19, 1988, is one of Music City's hidden treasures.

One can only imagine what the Acklen family's regular residence looked like. The mansion, some remnants of which remain in use on the campus of Belmont University, was built between 1849 and 1853. The structure now used as the university's bell tower was modeled after the lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt, and was used as a water tower to irrigate the extensive gardens.

8. A log cabin at Stone Hall Park was moved in so a poet could write in peace

The mansion was designed in 1918 for the Cantrell family. Nora Johnson Cantrell was a well-known poet at the time, and in the 1930s, the family installed a three-story log cabin to serve as a writer's retreat for her. The cabin is known as Eversong and sits just south of the Stones River Greenway, if you happen to be in the mood to write a few verses.

9. The WSM-AM tower was the tallest in the United States

When built in 1932, the tower reached 878 feet into the air. It was reduced in 1939. The station had already established the Grand Ole Opry program, which started in 1925. When the tower was built, on land chosen specifically for its deep bedrock, the station had just been designated as one of only 14 national clear channels, allowing it to broadcast all night to 40 states.

Reach reporter Mariah Timms at mtimms@tennessean.com or 615-259-8344 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.

What's Out There Weekend:Free guided tours through Nashville landmarks next weekend