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Brentwood, Tennessee: Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue (Gone)

Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate general, slave trader, and a big honcho with the early KKK. The statue, erected in 1998 in full view of I-65, was defaced repeatedly. Its owner went blind and died in Nov. 2020, leaving a trust to maintain the statue for years to come. The trust decided otherwise, and in Dec. 2021 it was removed.

Hours:
Dec. 7, 2021: Statue removed.
Status:
Gone

Visitor Tips and News About Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue

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Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue

America's ugliest and possibly least-loved statue -- of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest -- was taken down on December 7, 2021. Erected by property owner Bill Dorris in 1998, its prominent spot on private land adjacent to I-65, just south of Nashville, guaranteed an audience of millions. The bizarre rendering of the slave trader and early KKK leader was tolerated in its early years, but as time passed it became the target of angry bullets and buckets of defacing paint. Dorris's death in November 2020 left the statue without its most dogged defender.

Video of the statue's removal revealed it to have been sculpted out of what appeared to be auto body filler coated with a thin, hard crust, like a chocolate-covered marshmallow. As it was pulled down, the horse's head and legs disintegrated -- and Forrest's right arm was severed, and his left arm and leg were destroyed. What's left of the statue has reportedly been stored in a nearby shed.

In hindsight, given the statue's cheesy construction and frequent abuse, it's surprising that it survived as long as it did.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 12/09/2021]
Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue

The statue has been removed. From the looks of the video, the horse's head didn't survive the take-down!

[Brady Mills, 12/07/2021]
Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue

The statue was recently vandalized and had buckets of pink paint thrown on it. According to the Tennessean news article, the owner said he plans on leaving the paint to draw more attention to the statue and was quoted saying: "I do think they've chose a real good color."

[Cate Gooch, 08/08/2018]

Forrest in pink.

Nathaniel Bedford Forrest

I visited a couple months after the statue was painted pink. The paint actually adds more character to the statue! It has received a lot of attention lately, as it is a reminder of the Civil War. The city asked for the state to plant tall bushes between the interstate and the statue to block it, but the state refused. Easy pull over, around milepost 76, but be careful. Traffic is always busy in this area of I-65.

[Tim O'Brien, 02/18/2018]

Nathan Bedford Forrest statue.

Nathaniel Bedford Forrest Statue

Pretty much the world's ugliest statue.

[Kenton, 02/18/2012]

There are other contenders, but it's hard to beat that injection-mold-souvenir depiction of the Confederate general (and leader of the Ku Klux Klan).


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