Sylvan Park neighborhood survey, ca. 1983.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Organized by street;,thereunder by address. Original order retained. The first portion of the survey begins with Charlotte Avenue near Richland Park, and progresses southward to Murphy Road. The rest of the survey is not arranged in any particular order, although generally it proceeds to areas north of Charlotte and west of White Bridge Rd., and then returns to numbered streets in the vicinity of Richland Park.

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

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: Deed research sheets and color Polaroid photographs, providing architectural and historical information about the Sylvan Park and West Nashville areas of Nashville, Tenn. A planned subdivision at the turn of the 20th century, Sylvan Park was an integral part of the growing manufacturing town of West Nashville, located near the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, the Cumberland River, and Charlotte Pike. A number of the early residents in Sylvan Park worked in skilled trades for the railroad, mills, or other industries. Used by Sarah Foster Kelley as research for her book, West Nashville, Its People and Environs, each folder contains photograph(s) taken around 1983 of the building on the property as well as a documentation sheet with deed information for that address. In some cases, there may be properties lacking photographs or detailed descriptions.

Deed information sheets contain architectural descriptions, information on original and successive owners and other research notes. Photographs taken around 1983 show front (street) views of most buildings and frequently include front views taken from an angle to the side. Most photographs are of bungalow-style houses built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although some reflect structural changes made over the years. Other buildings include churches, schools, and civic buildings. Some business structures, primarily located on Charlotte Ave., are also included.

The primary focus of the survey is in the vicinity of Richland Park, bounded to the east by 42nd Ave., to the west by 54th Ave., to the north by Charlotte Ave., and to the south by Murphy Rd. Within this area, the survey includes the streets of Charlotte, Park, Elkins, Nevada, Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, and Colorado Avenues and Murphy Road, as well as 46th, 49th, 50th, 51st and 54th Avenues North. Other locations outside of the Richland Park vicinity include scattered sites north of Charlotte Ave. on Georgia, Illinois, and New York Avenues; and areas to the west of White Bridge Rd. on Robertson Rd. [Ave.]; Annex Ct., Osceola Ave.; and Stevenson St. [Dr.]

Cite as: [address], Sylvan Park Neighborhood Survey, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

Nashville Public Library does not have intellectual property rights to these materials.

Sarah Foster Kelley;,Gift;,unidentified year before 2001, probably before 1987;,Acc. RT-310.

The Sarah Foster Kelley Genealogical Papers, housed in the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library, include additional materials relating to Kelley's research on West Nashville, including research files and permission forms, and page proofs for her book, West Nashville: Its People and Environs. Researchers are particularly directed to Series XXIII: Research on Old West Nashville Homes Showing Date of Construction and Original Owner, which may include additional deed research, photographs, or related materials on individual properties in the Sylvan Park and West Nashville areas.

Sarah Foster Kelley (1939-2002) was a Nashville native and seventh-generation descendant of Nashville founders James and Charlotte Robertson through their youngest daughter, Lavinia Beck Craighead. Kelley was born May 25, 1939, the fourth of five children born to Jesse Paul and Lavinia Hill Foster of West Nashville. Kelley studied and documented Robertson's life and descendants extensively. She worked to recreate the 1779 James Robertson log home and was long active in West Nashville community affairs and historical observances. She edited the West Nashville Digest and was a member of numerous historical and genealogical associations. The author of several genealogies and of eight published books, Kelley died July 16, 2002.

In English

Finding aid available in repository;,folder level control.,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_Sylvan_Park.pdf.

Created by Sarah Foster Kelley.

Rehouse;,2007;,Patrick Barnes.

No further accruals are expected.