History of Nashville Tennessee begins along the Cumberland River with Indigenous homelands, Fort Nashborough, river commerce, railroads, and state government. Its Davidson County location helped the city become a transportation and publishing center.
Native peoples lived throughout the Cumberland River region long before Nashville’s establishment. Archaeological sites document extensive settlement, agriculture, trade, and cultural development.
James Robertson and John Donelson led settlers to the Cumberland area in 1779 and 1780. They established a fortified community near today’s downtown riverfront.
North Carolina lawmakers established the town of Nashville in 1784. The name honored General Francis Nash, who died during the Revolutionary War.