It’s not easy to sum up the changes that Nashville went through during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. There was the growth of the music industry, the challenge and opportunity of the Civil Rights Movement, the building of the interstate highway system, the stretch of urban sprawl, and the development of Opryland -- all of it an integral part of what made Nashville what it is today. Fortunately, aided by the rise of the 35 mm camera, Nashville’s photographers not only captured the city’s journey; they preserved it.
Nashville: The 20th Century in Photographs, Volume 3 picks up where Volume 2 left off in the early 50s, with the city transitioning from river travel to trains and planes; from electric streetcars to automobiles; and with the city booming as a banking giant and a center of manufacturing. The membership drive special uses archival photos and new interviews with photographers and residents who lived it, included to take us from the relative calm of the 50s through the turbulent 60s to a city finding its way in the 70s.
The program is made possible through the generous support of the Ford Motor Company.
