Fort Negley Visitors Center

The Fort Negley Visitors Center sits near the base of St. Cloud Hill, distinguished by its modern stone and glass structure that contrasts with the rugged ruins looming on the ridge above. This site commemorates the largest inland stone fortification built by the Union Army during the American Civil War. After Union forces captured Nashville in eighteen sixty-two, they transformed the city into a fortified stronghold. Under the direction of engineer Captain James St. Clair Morton, more than twenty-seven hundred conscript laborers—mostly free Blacks and runaway slaves—were forced to construct the fort using axes, picks, and spades.