Nashville Then and Now by Karina McDaniel and Aubrey C. Watson

Originally known as Nashborough, Nashville was named as the capital of Tennessee in 1843. The city’s economic recovery after the Civil War was slow, hampered by two major cholera epidemics. However, the Centennial Exposition of 1897, for which a reproduction of the Greek Parthenon was built, led to the city’s gradual establishment as one of the finest cities in the South.  Although Nashville was known as the home of the Maxwell House Coffee empire in the early twentieth century, it was the Grand Ole Opry, established in 1925, that turned the city into a major country music venue. Using some extraordinary images from the city’s past, paired with the same views today, Nashville Then and Now shows how the city has evolved into a bright, modern city that is synonymous with country music.

Nashville Then and Now takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the past and present of Tennessee's capital city. Rare and previously unpublished archive photographs have been paired with up-to-date, specially commissioned views taken from the same vantage point.

Locations include: State Capitol, Hotel Hermitage, Maxwell House Hotel, Ryman Auditorium, Union Street, James K. Polk Home, Germantown, Watson House, Woodland Street Bridge, Broad Street, Union Street, Market Street, Customs House, Union Station, Fisk University, Country Music Hall of Fame, the Parthenon, Tennessee Centennial, Vanderbilt University, Hillsboro Turnpike, Fort Negley, and East Bank.

Hard Cover.

About the authors: Karina McDaniel has worked as a photographer for Tennessee State Library and Archives, specializing in the restoration, reproduction, and preservation of historic photographs and documents. Her work has been published in many books, including Tennessee and the Great Smokies and Nashville: City of Note.

Aubrey C. Watson is a freelance photographer, lecturer and writer. He was staff photographer and cinematographer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and is a lifelong resident of Nashville. His other books include The Outdoor Photographer's Bible and Nashville in Photographs.