28th-31st Avenue Connector oral history project, 2012
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Digital audio files and CDs are identified by the project abbreviation: "28thCP" which serves as a prefix. Arranged thereunder alphabetically by the last name of the interviewee.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library

Transcripts created in 2023 using SimonSays.ai artificial intelligence transcription software.

In library use only. Available by appointment

Restrictions on Buchanan and Rhodes interviews expired in 2012 and 2014, respectively

Scope and Content: Four audio interviews (with transcripts) conducted in 2012 by the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library, in partnership with the Metro Arts Commission and Metro Parks. Each interviewee discusses the positive impact they believe the 28th Connector Project will have on their community. They discuss the separation of North Nashville from the rest of Nashville following the construction of Interstate 40 between 1968 and 1971, and the impact the interstate had on their community. Interviewees share their hopes that the 28th - 31st Connector will reconnect the Nashville communities that were disrupted by the interstate and bring economic opportunity back to North Nashville by making it more accessible for vehicle and foot traffic. In addition, speakers share their memories about growing up in North Nashville, recollections of Hadley Park, and reflections on past and present diversity in Nashville.

Lillian Buchanan and Adrie Rhodes, sisters, discuss the history of North Nashville, a central hub to Nashville’s black community. Specifically they recall the Jefferson Street and Meharry areas. They discuss the importance of Hadley Park to the community and express the need for more schools in North Nashville. They also discuss how raising children is a community endeavor and comment on the importance of community centers like parks and libraries.

Armistead Burks discusses the importance of bringing diversity to Nashville. He speaks about creating a legacy and gives advice for success. Burks lists the schools he attended, including Cameron High School, Tennessee State University, Meharry Dental School, and University of Tennessee Knoxville. Burks also discusses how building the interstate through North Nashville negatively impacted Jefferson Street businesses and shares his hopes that the 28th Connector will bring people together.

Rutha Coffman tells about growing up in North Nashville and the importance of Hadley Park to her community. She recalls seeing President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Fisk University’s Jubilee Hall. She talks about how Nashville has grown and developed over time. She mentions how St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church was displaced by the interstate and her hopes that the 28th Connector Project will reunite North Nashville to greater Nashville. She talks about attending Cameron High School and Pearl High School, and shares stories about her grandmother, who was an enslaved woman in Georgia.

Gregory Taylor tells about growing up in Alabama and in Nashville as his family travelled back and forth between locations. Taylor recalls his experience with the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, his later research on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the people he interviewed about Dr. King like Dr. Bernard Bridges and the wife of a minister who wrote to Dr. King during his imprisonment in Birmingham Jail. Taylor mentions worshiping at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill and Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, and attending American Baptist College. He discusses Jefferson Street businesses and Hadley Park.

Cite as: [individual interview], 28th-31st Avenue Connector Oral History Project, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

System requirements for sound discs: computer with CD drive and ability to play audio files in .cda format

Copyright deeded to Nashville Public Library at time of creation.

The 28th-31st Avenue Connector Oral History Project was commissioned by the Nashville Public Library, the Metro Arts Commission and Hadley Park to gather the community's response to the new bridge. The 28th to 31st Avenue Connector Bridge opened to the public on October 2, 2012, connecting West End Avenue and North Nashville, neighborhoods that previously had been separated by Interstate 40. Intentions behind this project included revitalizing the Jefferson Street and North Nashville areas by promoting economic growth, easing traffic flow through the city, and encouraging mixed-use land development.

In English

Interviews were recorded in digital format using a Marantz PMD671 solid state recorder. Interviews were recorded in .wav format at 48 khz and 16 bit and were converted to .cda files for access.

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No further accruals are expected