Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University History Dissertations Department of History 11-14-2008 Athens of the South: College Life in Nashville, A New South City, 1897-1917 Mary Ellen Pethel Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Pethel, Mary Ellen, "Athens of the South: College Life in Nashville, A New South City, 1897-1917." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2008. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_diss/20 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ATHENS OF THE SOUTH: COLLEGE LIFE IN NASHVILLE, A NEW SOUTH CITY, 1897-1917 by Mary Ellen Pethel Under the Direction of Dr. Wendy Hamand Venet ABSTRACT The Progressive Era affected the South in different ways from other regions of the United States. Because Southern society was more entrenched in patriarchy and traditional social strictures, Nashville provides an excellent lens in which to assess the vision of a New South city. Known as ―Athens of the South,‖ Nashville legitimized this title with the emergence of several colleges and universities of regional and national prominence in the 1880s and 1890s. In the first two decades of the twentieth century, Nashville‘s universities solidified their status as reputable institutions, with Vanderbilt and Fisk Universities garnering national prominence. Within Nashville, local colleges, including Ward Belmont College, David Lipscomb University, Peabody College, Roger Williams University, and Meharry Medical College shaped and were shaped by the growing city. Higher education and urbanization created a dialectic that produced a new generation and a new monied class of young adults who thought and acted differently from their parents. Moreover, women became more active participants in public spheres because of opportunities provided by higher education. In most cases, Nashville‘s women continued to use their husband‘s prominence to earn greater success. In regard to race, the city‘s African American colleges helped to produce men and women who formed the backbone of the rising black middle class and elite in the South. Nashville endured great change, formally beginning with the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, whereby the city‘s trajectory followed a more modern approach, albeit southern style. Higher education played a large role in the direction of the city, both literally and figuratively. Shifts in attitude toward race, gender, and leisure combined to create a new youth culture. Young women and men socialized on and off campus through a variety of new forms of recreation. The experience of ―college life‖ was more than attending classes but rather a fluid phase beginning with youthfulness and ending with adulthood. Social interaction increasingly became a major component of college life; the city of Nashville simply provided the stage. By U.S. entrance into World War I, Nashville had legitimized its position as a Southern urban center of entertainment and higher education. INDEX WORDS: Education, Nashville, Tennessee, Gilded/ Progressive, New South, African American, Race, Gender, Leisure, Recreation, Urbanization, College, University, Vanderbilt, Belmont, Ward Belmont, Fisk, Meharry, Lipscomb, Peabody, College sports, Physical education, Women‘s education, Ryman Auditorium, Public parks, Entertainment, Suburbs, Curriculum ATHENS OF THE SOUTH: COLLEGE LIFE IN NASHVILLE, A NEW SOUTH CITY, 1897-1917 By Mary Ellen Pethel A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2008 Copyright by Mary Ellen Pethel 2008 ATHENS OF THE SOUTH: COLLEGE LIFE IN NASHILLE, A NEW SOUTH CITY, 1897-1917 By Mary Ellen Pethel Committee Chair: Wendy Hamand Venet Committee: Larry R. Youngs Glenn T. Eskew Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University December 2008 iv DEDICATION I am blessed to have four living grandparents. They were children when World War I and the Progressive Era ended. Their parents struggled to raise children not in the city, but in the agrarian Georgia countryside. They also dealt with issues of race and gender – deep in the Deep South. All were educated with the basics, yet none had the money, time, and/or opportunity to go to college. My grandparents and great-grandparents were not part of the new money class brought by industry and education. They did not live in a New South city. They did not attend sorority dances or football games, and they did not take classes in chemistry or pedagogy. Yet, they are children of the Gilded/Progressive era; they are the by-products of post-bellum challenges and social change. I do not want to leave them out, even if they did not live within the demographic context of my research. So I hope they now enjoy reading this yarn I have spun, for with this dedication, they are now part of the story. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout my graduate school training, I have read hundreds of books and consulted hundreds more. I always read the acknowledgements of the author and wondered what I would write when it was my turn to put my appreciation into words. Now in retrospect, as the light grows bright at the end of the tunnel, I realize that my gratitude must be divided among more than most. Truly, this project is a reflection of the unmitigated support I have received over the past two years. My committee is at the top of the list, offering their time and suggestions, all the while allowing me the freedom to research and write with my own voice. In particular, Dr. Wendy Venet and Dr. Larry Youngs have served as my mentors, not only for my dissertation but also for the majority of my time as a graduate student. I could ask for no better role models, both in and out of the classroom. They epitomize all the excellence that higher education has to offer, and deserve my utmost admiration and affection. My family and friends have also played an integral role, helping me set deadlines, reminding me to work even when motivation was low, and celebrating with me each step along the way. My parents, Dr. Stan Pethel and Jo Ann Pethel have always validated the value of education and have supported me, in countless ways, throughout my educational journey. Dr. Steve Blankenship lent invaluable insight into early chapter drafts and gave of his time, not because he was obligated, but because he remains a faithful colleague and friend. The Special Collections faculty and staff at Vanderbilt University, Belmont College, Fisk University, and Lipscomb University were always accommodating whether pulling a source, photocopying, or helping me navigate their school‘s rich history. Perhaps the leading urban historian for Nashville‘s history, Dr. Don Doyle graciously met with me in the early months of my research. His time and interest in my project motivated me throughout the research and writing process. vi Other individuals that must be mentioned are William Traughber, Jenny Rushing, Polly Linden, Marie Byers, Christine Douglas, and Judy Williams. Countless others deserve thanks, but they are too numerous to name. I only hope that this work will reflect the magnitude of family and friends who have given much so that I could conclude this chapter in my career. I trust that they know, even without these acknowledgements, what they mean to me. As for my efforts, I hope they reflect the motto of the Ward Seminary Class of 1903. Alongside these women of the past, I also strive, ―To be, not to seem.‖ vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF FIGURES ix CHAPTER 1. Introduction 1 The City in Context 5 Nashville‘s Colleges and Universities 8 2. Southern Style : Urbanization and Higher Education 46 Modern Notions 51 The Business of Money 59 Factoring in Race and Gender 68 Urban Design 78 Conclusion 84 3. The Modern Belle: Education and Gender 89 Changing Inclinations in Education 94 Challenge and Reaction 102 Faculty 120 Daughters of the Rich 124 Conclusion 136 4. The ―Race‖ for Education: Creating the Talented Tenth 143 Caste Prejudice 152 Industrial and Vocational Education 157 Training Professionals 166 viii Gender 178 Contradictory Christianity 186 Conclusion 190 5. College Youth Culture: Leisure and Recreation 194 Leisurely Leanings and Urban Identity 198 Students of Sport 214 The Female Athlete 223 On-Campus Coalescence 235 Conclusion 244 6. Epilogue: Prohibition and Women‘s Suffrage 249 REFERENCES 260 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Nashville Railway and Light Company, Map of Nashville, 1913. 23 Figure 2. Postcard of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897 grounds. 24 Figure 3. View of downtown from the State Capitol Building, 1864. 24 Figure 4. Merchants Avenue downtown Nashville, 1890s. 25 Figure 5. Downtown Nashville, Broad Street, 1915. 25 Figure 6. Vendome Theater, circa early 1900s. 26 Figure 7. Union Tabernacle, later renamed Ryman Auditorium. 26 Figure 8. Night view of the Centennial Exposition with Parthenon, Commerce 27 Building and Lake Wautauga. Figure 9. Gate Entrance of the Centennial Exposition of 1897. 27 Figure 10. Rialto Bridge, Venetian gondolas, History Building, and Parthenon. 28 Figure 11. Negro Building at the Centennial Exposition of 1897. 28 Figure 12. Women‘s Building at the Centennial Exposition of 1897. 29 Figure 13. Vanity Fair Ground was the entertainment portion of the Exposition 29 with a Chinese Village, Streets of Cairo, and amusement rides such as the water ride, ―Shooting the Chutes,‖ and the ―Giant Seesaw‖ seen in the near distance. Figure 14. The Hermitage Hotel downtown, shortly after its opening in 1908.