The town of Nashville was founded by James
Robertson, John Donelson, and a party of Over mountain Men in 1779, near the
original Cumberland settlement of Fort Nashborough. It was named for Francis
Nash, the American Revolutionary War hero. Nashville quickly grew because of
its strategic location, accessibility as a river port, and its later status as
a major railroad center. In 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and
became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was
named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee.
