Forest Hills
Matt Masters

The City of Forest Hills is suing the Tennessee Historical Commission in an effort to be able to rename several residential roads which were named after historic figures from the American Civil War and the defeated Confederate States of America.

The lawsuit was first reported by the Tennessee Lookout, and specifically stated in the Dec. 2022 suit are Confederate Drive, Robert E. Lee Drive and Court, Jefferson Davis Drive and Court, and General Davis Court, all of which were named by private developers in the 1960s.

Those streets are now part of the Tyne Valley Estates subdivision, which contains what are often called "luxury homes."

"The City wants to give the residents of Forest Hills the opportunity to change the names of the streets listed above, and rename them with names that reflect the plant and animal life in the City of Forest Hills," the suit reads.

According to the Tennessee Historical Commission's website, the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act of 2016 "prohibits the removal, relocation, or renaming of a memorial that is, or is located on, public property," and applies to any memorial that existed prior to Jan. 1, 1970 as well as any memorial that was  "lawfully created, erected, named, or dedicated" after that date.

In 2022, the Tennessee Historical Commission held a hearing and denied the city's petition, ruling that the streets in question are "memorials' as defined by the Act.

Now the city is asking the Davidson County Chancery Court to review the denial, arguing that the city should not have to seek the permission of the Commission in order to rename the streets.

"The City respectfully states that the Commission has erred in its interpretation of the Heritage Act," the suit reads. "The Commission has interpreted the Heritage Act in such a way as to prevent the City from permitting its residents to decide whether to change the names of the subdivision streets without first obtaining a waiver from the Commission."

"The Commission held in error that subdivision streets which were not constructed on public property, or named or dedicated by the public, but were named by private parties and constructed on privately owned land, are nonetheless 'Memorials' under the Heritage Act because the named streets were later dedicated to the public for use."

According to the Davidson County Chancery Court Clerk, no hearing date has been set for the case.