Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc. Records, ca. 1970-ca. 1988.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Organized into five series: I. Publications; II. Topical Files; III. Newsletters and Miscellany; IV. Correspondence; and V. Photographs.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Summary: A collection of organizational records of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc., including correspondence, photographs, newsletters and topical research files created by the organization. Also includes numerous publications produced by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The documentary resources, spanning ca. 1970 through ca. 1988, relate to the organizational leadership and activities of the citizens advocacy group, with information about the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood, community development, zoning issues, fair housing, I-440, interracial issues, open housing investment, and other topics.

Abstract Series I. Publications, ca. 1970-ca. 1979, 2.0 cu. ft. (4 boxes). This series consists of various publications, many of which were produced by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County during the 1970s. Includes published studies and reports on topics such as suburban development, the housing market, capital improvements budget and program, land use policy, central business district analysis and design planning, transportation, neighborhood resources, and urban renewal.

Abstract Series II. Topical Files, ca. 1970-ca. 1977, 1.0 cu. ft. (2 boxes). This series consists of topical research files about housing codes, Citizens for Better Neighborhoods, I-440 Environmental Impact hearings, zoning regulations and codes, fair housing, Metropolitan Planning Commission, school busing, National Neighbors Conference (1974), open housing, and the governing officers of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors (BHN). Includes some of the correspondence of Carroll J. Bourg and Susan F. Wiltshire, Chairpersons of the Steering Committee, among others. Also present in the collection are two separate studies of the Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors (BHN) conducted in the early 1970s by representatives from the Center for Community Studies at George Peabody College and the Urban Community.

Abstract Series III. Newsletters and Miscellany, 1971-1988, .5 cu. ft. (1 box). This series of newsletters, brochures, and miscellany. The topical coverage includes urban homesteading, neighborhood revitalization, equal opportunity in housing, promotion and marketing techniques, Federal National Mortgage Association, National Association of Neighborhoods (NAN), and multi-racial neighborhoods. The collection contains several newsletter issues of "Belmont-Hillsboro News" and "National Neighbors," a bi-monthly publication on interracial living.

Abstract Series IV. Correspondence, ca. 1972-ca. 1977, .25 cu. ft. (1 box). This series consists primarily of correspondence of several officers of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors: Carroll J. Bourg, John William Myers, Jr., Eugene TeSelle, and Ashley T. Wiltshire, Jr. Includes some miscellaneous correspondence.

Abstract Series V. Photographs, ca. 1970s, .25 cu. ft. (1 box). This series of 59 black & white photographs shows aspects of the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood during the 1970s, including views of various homes, yards, and the "Neighborhood Fair."

Cite as: Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc. Records, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library.

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)

Nashville Public Library does not have intellectual property rights to these materials.

David I. McWhirter;,Gift;,2002.,Acc. 2002.002.

The Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc. is a non-profit organization that was founded circa 1970 and has the distinction of being the longest continually operating neighborhood entity in Nashville, Tennessee. This citizens advocacy group was founded by neighborhood residents and new arrivals interested in preserving the residential character of the neighborhood, retaining the diversity of the area, and encouraging friendly connections in a "racially, economically and socially integrated" residential community. The neighborhood is located south of downtown Nashville, Tennessee in an urban community in close proximity to Belmont University, Vanderbilt University, Sevier Park, hospitals, shopping facilities and transportation bus lines.

In the 19th century, the area had once been part of the estates of Adelicia Acklen (Belmont) and Colonel A. B. Montgomery. The oldest sections of the neighborhood were subdivided in the early 1890s and in 1901, when the Belmont Land Company secured a franchise to operate a street railway along Belmont Boulevard, advancing the development of the area as a "street car suburb." In the 1940s, the neighborhood suffered a decline as cars replaced the street cars and the suburbs of Nashville continued its outward expansion.

Circa 1970, the residents in the neighborhood were facing several problems such as absentee landlords, housing code violations, inadequate services from the city, deteriorating housing conditions, and real estate exploitation. In addition to these concerns, the question of school desegregation was an important issue for the organization.

In August, 1970 several Belmont-Hillsboro neighbors were actively involved in Citizens for Unitary Education (CUE) when school desegregation became a major issue in Nashville. Eugene TeSelle and other activists planned a neighborhood mass meeting, held on September 25, 1970, with a purpose to "meet your neighbors and talk about ways to deal with our common concerns: stable, integrated schools and neighborhoods; home rehabilitation; urban renewal; zoning for commercial use and multiple dwellings." The next neighborhood mass meeting was held on October 23, 1970 when John Gattis, Director of the Fair Housing Foundation, was invited to speak to the group. In 1971, Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors became affiliated with National Neighbors, an organization of interracial organizations, promoting an agenda for successful interracial living.

In 1973, the organization had grown to approximately two hundred members and was represented by Susan F. Wiltshire, head of the Steering Committee. In addition to the neighborhood preservation projects and developing organizational goals, they sponsored the Belmont-Hillsboro "Neighborhood Fair." On May 14, 1973, the Steering Committee voted unanimously to participate as a co-sponsoring group in the Title I "Neighborhood Workshops on Zoning and Land Use Planning."

For several years, Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors was opposed to the construction of I-440, also known as Four-Forty Parkway. At its annual meeting in October, 1976, the citizen action group voted unanimously to oppose construction of the interstate highway that would eventually cut through the urban landscape and affect the neighborhood. I-440, with its six interchanges, was officially opened in a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Governor Ned McWherter and Mayor Richard Fulton in the eastbound lanes of the parkway between Belmont Boulevard and Brightwood Avenue bridges on April 3, 1987.

In May of 1976, the organization received the award for neighborhood organizations at the Metropolitan Historical Commission's annual Architectural Awards Program "for creating viable relationships and recognizing and preserving the best qualities of a neighborhood."

In 1980, several property owners in a large portion of the Belmont-Hillsboro Neighborhood received letters that the Belmont-Hillsboro Historic District had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, most notably for the architecture of early 20th century bungalows, foursquares and tudors.

In the 21st century, the Belmont-Hillsboro Neighborhood Conservation Zoning Overlay was passed by Metro Council in April of 2005 and signed by Mayor Bill Purcell, to protect the architectural character and diversity of homes in the neighborhood.

In English.

Finding aid available in repository;,folder level control.

In possession of David I. McWhirter at time of donation. McWhirter was the president of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, ca. 1979-1980.

No further accruals are expected.