CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Mr. William Parker of the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center came to speak to Nashville State Community College students at the Clarksville Campus on Friday, February 17, 2017.
Mr. Parker spoke about some of the history of Fort Defiance in an effort to educate students about Clarksville during the Civil War. He stated that he was glad to have the opportunity to come and speak to local groups due to the fact that most of the Center’s 80,000 visitors have come from outside of Clarksville. Mr. Parker entertained the students with tales of how Fort Defiance came to be named as well as stories of how it was taken (and re-taken) three times without any shots being fired. He emphasized that, unlike the stories at other Civil War forts, Fort Defiance focused more on civilian life during the war because no battle was actually fought at the fort.
One of the topics discussed by Mr. Parker was the Freedmen’s Camps that sprung up around the Union army whenever they occupied a city or town. One such camp existed at Fort Defiance with recently freed slaves assisting with sewing, growing food, and improving the fortifications. Many homes and churches, such as the Green Hill Church, grew up around the camp at Fort Defiance. Interestingly, over 2000 Colored Troops were enlisted from the Clarksville area, although they went on to fight in other parts of the country.
At the end of the Civil War, Fort Defiance was abandoned and, over time, forgotten. The hill top where the fort was located fell into disarray and was used by many people as a place to dump their trash. In the 1980’s, Judge Sam Boaz obtained the property and gave it to the city of Clarksville. Mr. Parker stated that the site was cleared by three professors (Dr. Winn, Dr. Guidry, and Dr. Kimerly) from Austin Peay State University. Once the site was cleared they discovered what was once Fort Defiance perfectly preserved. The city had the area designated as a park and then declared it an historic site, opening the Interpretive Center six years ago.
Mr. Parker relayed to the students at Nashville State that the site, although a Civil War era fort, encompasses much more than that, with research opportunities stretching out for many years to come. He mentioned the discovery of artifacts from the Paleolithic era and a mass grave near A Street. With discoveries such as the diaries of Nannie Haskins (which is now a published edited by Minoa Uffelman, Ellen Kanervo, Phyllis Smith, and Eleanor Williams) and Serepta Jordan, local students, such as those at Nashville State, have many opportunities to learn about local history and the broader impact Clarksville has had on both a national and international scale.
Nashville State Community College Clarksville’s students, faculty, and staff greatly appreciated Mr. Parker taking time out of his schedule to share his knowledge about Fort Defiance and the local history of Clarksville.