Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery is one of the most beautiful landmarks of Nashville. Its wide open spaces dotted with majestic trees and beautiful flower gardens offer tranquility and beauty not only to the families it serves but to the community as a whole.
The history of Spring Hill dates back to the 1780s when the first settlers moved in from the Cumberland settlement into an area six miles east of Nashville called Haysboro. The land offered fertile soil for their crops and a plentiful steady water source from several springs. Needing a church and school, James Robertson persuaded the Princeton educated Reverend Thomas B. Craighead of Mecklenburg, North Carolina, to move to Haysboro as a preacher and teacher. With a promise of 640 acres of land he arrived in 1785. The settlers had built a log house on the property for him and his family.
Nashville: A Center for Learning
Within a year, a gathering place for the Spring Hill community was constructed. It was a 24 foot by 30 foot building made from native stone. Here Reverend Craighead preached on Sundays and taught school during the week. It was known as the Spring Hill Meeting House and established the first Presbyterian Church in this territory. The school was called Davidson Academy and was chartered by an act of the North Carolina Legislature in 1785. It was called “An Act for the Promotion of Learning in Davidson County”. It also laid the foundation for the evolution of Nashville as an educational center.
By 1800, Nashville had grown from a string of forts located along various waterways to a thriving little town. It boasted a post office, newspaper, several stores and taverns, and Davidson Academy. In 1806, Davidson Academy was named Davidson College and had moved across the river to College Hill. Several years later when Thomas B. Craighead was replaced by James Preistly , the name was changed again to Cumberland College. The church yard was used as a community burying ground. In 1813, it was designated Craighead Spring Hill Cemetery.
The Civil War Years
Tennessee was divided during the Civil War: 167,000 men served in Confederate Gray while 31,000 in Union Blue. Nashville felt the effects of the war but fortunately was spared the devastation other southern cities faced. Trees were gone and the land scarred by Union occupation. As with the case of church or privately held burial grounds, Spring Hill Cemetery had fallen into decay.
Recovery from the war took many years. New people arrived, transportation and trade revived, especially with the westward expansion of the railroads. The population increased three times from the pre-war era. Life was full of optimism and Nashville became the 4th largest city in the South.
In 1888, a company of gentlemen chartered Spring Hill Cemetery for the sale of lots and marketed it as a modern final resting place. These directors drew up the rules of governing, maintaining and protecting the lots, monuments, and procedures of interment.
Times of Change
As the city grew, the population spread outward encompassing the surrounding counties. A modern downtown area with skyscrapers, city park systems, electric street cars, automobiles and entertainment centers made Nashville a thriving city in the early 1900s. In 1925, the Grand Ole Opry was born and Nashville would soon become known as Music City. Today several members of the Opry are interred and memorialized within the gates of historic Spring Hill.
Change accelerated with WWII. The war strengthened and rejuvenated the economy stimulating social change. Civil rights and the advent of radio and country music contributed to the freedom of expression. More industry arrived and contributed to the booming economy – banking, automobile manufacturing, printing and publishing, and government. Nashville emerged as the Athens of the South.
The Legacy of Visionary Citizens
Spring Hill Cemetery continued to grow – additional property was acquired and a system for record keeping was introduced as facilities expanded. J. Taylor Stratton, a prominent stockholder, businessman and civic leader, spearheaded the management and growth of Spring Hill for 30 years. He was an enthusiastic and dedicated member of the school board and he was responsible for developing the county high school system. J. Taylor Stratton School was named in his honor.
In 1934, Mary Stratton, Stratton’s daughter became president of the cemetery. Known as Miss Mary, she established new roads, statuary, plantings, and other improvements to the property. After her death her husband Dr. James Hayes, a beloved Nashville physician, managed the operations of Spring Hill Cemetery. In 1991 he stepped down to President Emeritus and turned operations over to his son Rev. Jim Hayes. Rev. Hayes, a well known member of the clergy, worked hard to fulfill his mother’s legacy and serve the community.
After Rev. Hayes’ sudden death in 1994 and Dr. Hayes’ death in 1996, the Rev. Hayes’ widow Marylyn Poteete Hayes and her daughters operated Spring Hill for many years. In the late 1990s they began working with funeral directors to design and construct a state of the art funeral home to better service their community.
Ground breaking occurred in June of 1997 and in 1998 the doors of Spring Hill Funeral Home were opened. The funeral home now stands on Spring Hill Cemetery’s north eastern border overlooking Gallatin Pike. As one of the largest funeral and cemetery providers in Nashville, and with its historic association with the community, Spring Hill continues to occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of Nashville’s citizens.
Today Spring Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery is one of the largest funeral and cemetery providers in Nashville, it’s wide open spaces dotted with majestic trees and beautiful flower gardens offer tranquility and beauty not only to the families it serves but to the community as a whole.
