Transportation ephemera subject files, 1899-2011 (bulk 1974-2010)
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Organized by type of transportation;,Arranged thereunder alphabetically.

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

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: A wide variety of material relating to transportation in Nashville, Tenn. Major subject areas concern transportation in general, automobiles, aviation, boats, buses, railroads, and streetcars. The vast majority of materials date from the late twentieth century, and focus on transportation in the greater Nashville area. This includes public and private enterprises, mass transit and personal vehicles, movement of passengers and freight, and subjects of a related nature. Formats include brochures, pamphlets, illustrated booklets, advertisements, timetables, schedules, route maps, promotional materials, histories, tickets, reports, transportation studies, statistics, invitations, special events programs, rider guides or instruction manuals, and a wide variety of other material. Quantity of materials ranges from a single item to several folders. Most folders contain less than five items, and often only a single item. Some items are photocopies.

Highlights include the first issue of The Exhaust magazine, produced in Nashville in 1911 for automobile enthusiasts. Particularly noteworthy is an ad for an electric car. Driver's manuals from 1959 and 1973 are also part of the collection. Aviation materials include a children's activity book from 1977 containing mazes, word-finds, coloring pages and puzzles; a program from Aviation Days in 1968 featuring the Navy's Blue Angels; and a brief historical essay about Hampton Field, an early airfield in Nashville. Other highlights in the collection include the opening of the MTA bus terminal, Music City Central; an essay by Jesse Burt about William Tecumseh Sherman and railroads during the Civil War; the initiation of commuter rail service with the Music City Star in 2006; and pocket-sized newsletters (1908-1926) issued by Nashville Railway and Light Company, providing helpful hints for riding the streetcars, as well as local attractions and events, jokes, news briefs, and other content.

Cite as: [folder title or item description], [type of transportation], Transportation Ephemera Subject Files, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

Some items may be restricted by copyright law or donor restriction.

Intentionally assembled by staff of the Special Collections Division, beginning at an unknown date, probably in the late 1960s, and collected on an ongoing basis.

Related materials in the Special Collections Division include: Numerous maps relating to transportation may be found in the Nashville Room Map Collection. Items related to transportation-related businesses - as businesses, rather than as means of transportation - such as automobile manufacturers, for example - may be found in Businesses Ephemera Subject Files. A significant portion of the Nashville Electric Service Public Relations Records concerns streetcar and bus transportation in the city prior to 1950.

In English

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

Process;,2015;,Linda Barnickel.

Additional accruals are expected.