Captain Ryman’s Home - Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County - Tennessee Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Side 1:

Captain Ryman’s Home

On this site stood the residence of Captain Thomas Green Ryman, owner of the Ryman steamboat line and builder of the Union Gospel Tabernacle, renamed Ryman Auditorium after his death in 1904. The Queen Anne frame house with a slate roof, seven gables and two turrets, served as the home of Captain and Mrs. Ryman and their seven children from 1885-1926. The house was razed in 1940.

Side 2:

Captain Ryman’s Home

Historical Commission of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County

Other Information:

In 1885 Captain Tom Ryman owned 35 steamboats on the Cumberland and the Tennessee Rivers. He was one of the most influential men on the River in Nashville. He had built a beautiful mansion on a hill in the best neighborhood in Nashville. However Captain Ryman owned saloons and had bars on his steamboats and was transporting whiskey as one of his main cargos. One day in 1885 an evangelist came to Nashville and held a revival in a tent that held 7,000 people and yet there were people who had to stand outside unable to get inside for the tent was filled to overflowing. The evangelist was Sam Jones from Cartersville, Georgia. At this revival Captain Tom Ryman was converted and did not renew any of the contracts for liquor concessions on his boats. He never sold liquor again. After his conversion he became a very religious man and wanted to build a building large enough for Sam Jones to hold his revivals. In 1889 Tom Ryman began construction on the Union Gospel Tabernacle. Captain Ryman died on December 23, 1904 and his funeral ceremonies were held in the Union Gospel Tabernacle, with evangelist Jones officiating. Sam Jones suggested that the building be named after its benefactor Thomas Green Ryman. The overflowing audience rose to their feet in accord with that suggestion and the building was named THE RYMAN AUDITORIUM. The Ryman was destined to serve as one of America's great performance halls throughout the 20th century, hosting the worlds greatest performers from Enrico Caruso to Hank Williams

Marker Name: Captain Ryman’s Home Marker Location: Roadside Type of Marker: Building Marker Number: Not listed Group(s) Responsible for placing Marker: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
At minimum, your visit must consist of a picture of the marker itself or anything referenced on the marker plus additional information you may have learned about the waymark topic. (You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture, but can.)

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   04/17/2006 LSUMonica visited it

View all visits/logs