Nashville was founded on Christmas Day 1779, when James Robertson, under the authority of the governor of North Carolina, established a settlement on the west bank of the Cumberland River and called it Fort Nashborough in honor of Francis Nash, a Revolutionary War general. Sixty four years later Nashville became the state capital.
Union forces took Nashville in 1862. Three years later, shortly before the surrender oat Appomattox, the Confederate attempted to regain control in the Battle of Nashville. Badly outnumbered by Union troops, they were defeated in a 2-day battle that is believed to have been the last of the Civil War.
Nashville's size and its central position and proximity to the Cumberland River dictated its importance as a trade and transportation center. Prosperity in the river trade increased with the arrival of the first steamboat in 1818. the economy got another boost when the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway was completed in 1854, providing important connections to Atlanta and Louisiana.
The printing industry, especially the production of Bibles, is a lucrative business in Nashville. With more than 700 churches and headquarters of the Southern Baptist Association, Nashville is one of the major strongholds of fundamentalism in the nation. Deeply tied to religion in both culture and economy, Nashville is sometimes called the "Protestant Vatican" or the "Buckle of the Bible Belt."
It was during the city's economic boom in the 1960s that Nashville became the place to record, and Music Row was born. According to the Country Music Association, more than half of all single records produced in the United States come out of Nashville.
One interesting historical spot in Nashville is the Old Cemetery at 1001 Fourth Ave S. It is the burial place of many of Nashville's most memorable figures, including its founder, General James Robertson, and Captain William Driver, who nicknamed the US flag "Old Glory." Driver's grave is one of the few places that the flag is permitted, by an act of Congress, to fly 24 hours a day.