NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Some historic markers carry important dates to Nashville; September 10, 1957. March 16, 1958. April 19, 1960. What happened on these days has been studied for the past seven years by author Betsy Phillips.
"If you're a Nashvillian of a certain age, this stuff is still really fresh to you," Phillips said.
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She's just released the book Dynamite Nashville. It's an in-depth look at three unsolved bombings, a subject also of deep interest to Dr. Learotha Williams Jr. of Tennessee State University.
"Betsy is one of the better writers in this city," he said. "She was determined to follow these things through."
On a morning in 1957, teachers were called in early to Hattie Cotton Elementary. It was one day after a Black child began attending the previously all-white school. The school had been bombed overnight.
1958. Known for hosting meetings for desegregation efforts, the Jewish Community Center on West End was bombed. A caller claimed responsibility.
"They called the rabbi at the temple and they said, 'this is the Confederate Underground,'" Phillips said.
1960. The home of lawyer Z. Alexander Looby was bombed. Looby was known for his involvement in desegregation efforts.
"The Looby bombing was an assasination attempt," said Williams.
"These terrible things happened and then, nothing came of it," Phillips added.
"The Hattie Cotton, the Jewish Center or the Looby bombing, nobody was ever charged," Williams continued.
Phillips' book reached a particular office.
"I said, 'wait a second. These are still unsolved cases," said Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell. "We have a cold case unit in the metro Nashville Police Department. I reached out to Chief Drake. He was very receptive to the idea. We're exploring what it would look like if we assigned this as a set of open cases to an investigator."
O'Connell said he's concerned by the lack of records related to these cases brought up by Phillips' book. He's hoping people today will still come forward with previously unheard information or records by reopening the cases.
"There's distance there, but the uncomfortable part of that distance may be that we never completely delivered justice," O'Connell said. "There may be threads you can still tug on that are a form of information there, former mayoral records there, things that didn't make the mayoral archives."
"There are things that I thought were possible," Phillips said about her book's role in the cases being reopened. "This was at the top of my dream wish-list."
Yes, the cases are from decades ago, past statutes of limitations for charges. For Phillips and Williams, it's a matter of filling in gaps in Nashville's history.
"There's a wound that's never properly healed," Williams said.
"A lot of senior Black Nashvillians I talked to were still deeply at a soul level insulted Looby never mattered enough to try to solve this," Phillips added. "I'm glad this is being done before most of the people in those generations die off."
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Even after nine years of calling Middle Tennessee home, my boys still say with excitement, "There's the Batman building!" every time we come downtown. It truly is unique! I loved learning more about its history and inspiration in this story. Love the old footage too! Check it out!
-Carrie Sharp
