Shelby Park Memories

We rode through Shelby Park yesterday. It was such a welcome sight after being cooped up all winter because of the weather and the Covid19 pandemic. A beautiful reminder that life is renewed every spring. Blooming trees, flowers, and seven baby ducks following their mother across the lake. Jimmy and I both laughed out loud when we saw them. As we passed the baseball diamond they were filled with people doing what they have done every spring for over 100 years.

Shelby Park was privately owned from 1892 until 1905. It was an amusement park with a bandstand and a dance pavilion, a flying Jenny, swings, a bowling alley, and more. The owners went bankrupt and the was in limbo until the city purchased it a few years later. Shelby was opened as a city park in 1912.

Click to read about The First Shelby Park

Almost every person who lived near the park in the old days spent a lot of time there. Before air conditioning was common in homes, seeking out a cooler environment was a necessity. From my mother I have stories of my great grandfather going to movies in the park, accompanied by a female friend. They courted but he remained a widower. Mama and her siblings grew up there. Running up and down hills and fishing in the lake. The boys would recover golf balls and sell them to golfers. When they were older they would caddie and even later played golf there.

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives- Golf Course
House is still standing in East Nashville

The girls went to social gatherings at Sycamore Lodge and spent time at the Mission House being taught crafts by local volunteers.

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives- Sycamore Lodge

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives- Mission House

On hot summer days, they would help their mother prepare and pack up supper. Their Dad would meet his family in the park. Blankets were spread on the ground and they would gather under giant trees in the shade for their meal.

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives

After eating the children would run to the playground. Some would climb the steps to the windmill. The others would go over to the boathouse where they could go up the stairs and look out over the lake. Their parents would nap under the trees and enjoy a peaceful time.

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives- Monkey Bars

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives- Windmill

Parks and Recreation- Shelby Park- Metro Nashville Archives- Boathouse

As they watched the sunset they would walk home together. My grandparents moved often but they were always in East Nashville and within walking distance of Shelby Park.