Nashville Retrospect

Ghost stories, TV horror hosts, and cemeteries are visited in this Halloween-themed episode. Host Allen Forkum (editor of The Nashville Retrospect newspaper) interviews historian Fletch Coke about the history of Nashville City Cemetery and about the stories of people interred there, including Confederate generals, a mysterious woman buried under a boulder, a U.S. president, the man who named Old Glory, and notable Nashville historical figures. The cemetery is the city's oldest public grave yard, established in 1822. (Segment begins at 04:50) The Captain William Driver monument is pictured in 1959. Driver is known for originating the name “Old Glory” for the American flag. (Image: Nashville Public Library, Nashville Room) This Nashville Banner photo shows the neglected state of City Cemetery in 1937. It accompanied an article headlined “Patriots Rest in Weeds” (see the July 2015 Nashville Retrospect). (Image: Nashville Public Library, Nashville Room, photo by John E. Hood) In 1959, Mayor Ben West headed a m