NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — You can trace Nashville Zoo’s roots all the way back 235 years.

It all started before Tennessee ever became a state of the Union. From the original 1786 land grant to today, the Grassmere property has witnessed more than two centuries of changes.

26 Historical Facts and Milestones

EARLY YEARS

  • Grassmere historic home, second oldest residence in Davidson Co. open to the public
  • Five generations of same family lived at Grassmere Farm
  • Home built by Col. Michael C. Dunn, completed in 1810
  • Purchased by Dunn’s son-in-law, Lee Shute, in 1846
  • Shute gifted his son, William and his wife Lavinia, the 346-acre property at $5
  • Sweet potatoes, corn, wheat and hay were primary crops
  • Swine and cattle raised
  • Flowers and apples sold
  • Served as family farm for 175 years
  • Granddaughter’s of Shute, Margaret and Elise Croft born in 1889 and 1894
  • Col. Michael C. Dunn
    Black and white crayon portrait of Michael C. Dunn (1770 -1853), the first owner of Grassmere.
  • William Dickson Shute
    Cabinet card of William Dickson Shute (1834-1916) as an older man. William Shute was the third owner of the home and property at Grassmere, which was transferred to him as a wedding gift from his father, Lee Shute.
  • Lavinia Hilliard Shute
    Lavinia Lafayette Hilliard (1837-1872) married William Dickson Shute (1834-1916) in 1856. William’s father, Lee Shute, sold the Grassmere property to his son for $5 in 1859 on occasion of his marriage to Lavinia. The Shutes had nine children together, but only four of them survived to adulthood:
  • Grandfather Shute and Uncle Will
    “Grandfather Shute” is William Dickson Shute, owner of Grassmere at the time of the photo. “Uncle Will” could be William Dickson Dunn, Elise and Margaret Croft’s great uncle, or his son, also named William Dickson Dunn.
  • Kate Shute in mourning
    Kate Carney Shute (1864-1925) was the fourth daughter of William D. and Lavinia Shute. She married William Croft (1860-1938) of Charleston, South Carolina, at Grassmere in 1888. Kate and William had two daughters, Margaret (1889-1974) and Elise (1894-1985).
  • Photograph of William Croft with cat
    William Croft (1860-1938) married Kate Carney Shute (1865-1925) on October 17, 1888, at Grassmere. They had two daughters, Margaret (1889-1974) and Elise (1894-1985).
  • Portrait of Kate, Margaret, and Elise Croft
    Large cabinet card of Kate Croft with her two daughters, Elise and Margaret.
  • Members of the Croft family
    Photograph of members of the Croft family. Standing from left: Margaret, William, unidentified woman, and Kate Shute Croft. Elise Croft is sitting in the lap of an unidentified woman. (1904)
  • Ann Elise Croft
    Cabinet card portrait of Ann Elise Croft, mother of William Croft and grandmother of Elise and Margaret Croft.
  • Margaret and Elise Croft
    Cabinet card of Margaret and Elise Croft as girls in white dresses.

TURN OF THE CENTURY

  • Croft family moved to Cuba in 1902, but the girls returned every summer
  • Morton family tenants 1919 to 1972
  • 1931 Margaret and Elise returned to Grassmere permanently
  • 1964 entered agreement with Children’s Museum of Nashville (Adventure Science Center) that upon deaths museum would own property and buildings
  • Agreement included the property would be used as a “nature study center”
  • Margaret passes away in 1974, Elise in 1985
  • Snapshot postcard of Margaret and Elise Croft
    Postcard with six different black and white snapshots of Elise and Margaret Croft.
  • The Croft house at Grassmere
    View of the Croft house at Grassmere, looking from the front drive.
  • Elise Croft with horse and foal
    Elise Croft stands behind the Croft home at Grassmere in a sun bonnet and dress, holding her hand out to a foal.
  • Margaret Croft with mule
    Photograph of Margaret Croft wearing a long dress and standing next to a mule.
  • Photograph of Leila Shute Tigert in field at Grassmere
    Leila Shute (1868-1952) was one of the four daughters of William and Lavinia Shute. She married Dr. Holland McTyeire Tigert (1880-1948) in approximately 1901. The Tigerts lived at Grassmere and Leila oversaw the running of the farm after her father died.
  • Leila Shute Tigert letter of dying wishes
    Letter from Leila Shute Tigert to Elise Croft and Venie Shute Hotchkiss on Grassmere stationery regarding her wishes following her death. She mentions her own inheritance and giving money to the Morton family as she “is very fond of these employees.”
  • Elise and Margaret Croft with parrot
    Photograph of Elise and Margaret Croft at Grassmere with a parrot. Reverse: “Elise & Margaret Croft with Polly Pet.” (1949)
  • Resolution between Croft sisters and Children's Museum
    Resolution between Margaret and Elise Croft and Nashville Children’s Museum Association. The deed requires Nashville Children’s Museum Association to pay taxes assessed against the Grassmere property beginning in the year 1964. The deed also requires operation of an educational nature study program under the name “Grassmere Nature Study Center.”
  • Handwritten history of Grassmere property
    Handwritten history of the Grassmere property, written by Elise Croft in purple ink.
  • Frank Morton standing in front of hay
    Frank Morton (1874-1962) came to work at Grassmere in 1919. He married Agnes Smith (c. 1874 – c. 1930) around 1895, and they raised their nine children together while they lived in a cabin on the property. Frank worked as a farm laborer on the site until his death. (1957)
  • Albert Morton in the kitchen
    Albert Morton (1913-1973) was the fifth child of Frank and Agnes Morton. He lived on the property and worked for the Croft sisters after his father passed away.
  • Maude in the kitchen at Grassmere
    Color photograph of Maude Morton Webb cleaning the floor in the indoor kitchen at Grassmere. She cooked and cleaned for the Croft sisters.

Tennessee 225: Dive into the history of the Volunteer State.

A NEW BEGINNING

  • 1990 Grassmere Wildlife Park opened
  • 1995 property closed for financial reasons, becoming Nashville Metro property
  • City bound by the sister’s agreement so the Nashville Zoo was invited to move from Joelton to Grassmere
  • 1997 Nashville Zoo took over management of property
  • 1998 Croft historic home opened to visitors
  • 1999 Grassmere Historic Farm opened
  • 2000 Critter Encounters, first interactive exhibit opens
  • 2001 officially becomes Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
  • 2004 receives accreditation from Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
  • 2019 HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center opens

News 2 has partnered with Nashville Zoo to bring you weekly segments of Zoopalooza. You can watch them on News 2 on Good Morning Nashville on Saturday and right here on WKRN.com.