“I just love Nashville. You know, I’m a historian, if I’m nothing else. So I just delved into the history. I’m the only person left in my neighborhood. My little part of the world, it’s all gone. Everyone else has moved away, sold out. I feel that we’re just getting started. It’s gonna roll for the next 20 years, without a doubt… I accept diversity… we are the most diverse community here in Antioch of all of Nashville… That’s when humanity starts, when you start helping people. But you don’t have to help. You don’t expect something out of it. You just help, you know, out of the goodness of your heart.”

The Keeper of Antioch History

John Taylor is a 73-year-old Antioch resident, historian, artist, and longtime community member whose life is deeply tied to Nashville’s past and present. Although he spent part of his childhood in Chicago because of his father’s railroad job, he has lived most of his life in Nashville on land his family has held since the late 1700s, originally granted to ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, when the government compensated soldiers with western land. He now lives on that same property, surrounded by rapid development, as one of the last remaining residents with generational roots in the area. John has spent decades working in the printing industry, serving as a church deacon, being an Etch A Sketch artist, volunteering with local organizations, and giving tours of the Parthenon, all while cultivating a deep passion for history and community.

Our conversation with John centered on the intersection of history, change, and community in Nashville. He reflected on watching Antioch transform from a tight-knit, largely homogeneous area into one of the city’s most diverse communities, while also grappling with the loss of its long-standing neighborhood identity. He shared stories of his large, unconventional family, growing up as one of eleven siblings in a household that regularly took in others in need, and how that shaped his worldview around compassion and community care. We also explored his passion for local history, from early Nashville settlers to the origins of “Music City,” alongside his involvement in preserving community spaces and traditions, like alumni gatherings at Antioch High School and the Cane Ridge Community Club. Throughout, John emphasized openness to change, the importance of diversity, and his belief that Nashville is still “just getting started.”