Presentation

In this presentation, Nashville Retrospect editor Allen Forkum tells the story of the disastrous collapse of the Nashville city reservoir in November 1912. Using numerous photos, maps, and newspaper clippings, Forkum explains why and how the reservoir came to be built, what happened to nearby residents when it collapsed, and what the future holds for the historic Eighth Avenue Reservoir. Stories include: previous waterworks disasters, survivors’ tales, “water famines,” and the legal aftermath.

For a reprint of original newspaper coverage of the collapse, get the November 2009 issue of The Nashville Retrospect.

For an overview history of Nashville’s early waterworks, watch Episode 2 of Nashville Retrospect Conversations.

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Video production: Sonua Bohannon of Plum Writing & Marketing

Image sources: H.C. Hill III, Library of Congress, Metro Archives, Metro Water Services, Mike Slate Collection, Nashville Public Library, Newspapers.com, Tennessee State Library and Archives