On March 27 the Nashville Sportsman’s Club celebrated its 70th Anniversary at St. James Baptist Church.

The Nashville Sportsman’s club was founded in 1945 to bring sportsmen together for fellowship and fun, and to foster greater knowledge and appreciation for hunting and fishing. Now recognized in 48 states and 3 countries, the club started with 20 charter members, mostly professionals, who worked hard during the week and came together on the weekends to recreate through hunting and fishing activities.

When formed, one of the most important functions of the club was to help locate farm land that was stocked with game where Blacks could hunt or fish. They were able to do this by purchasing land which they were subsequently forced to sell due to the building of Old Hickory Lake.

“The Nashville sportsman club is one of the oldest African-American Sportsman’s clubs in the country and the third oldest sportsman’s club in the state of Tennessee”, stated Kelvin Jones, one of the club’s past presidents.

To this day, the Nashville Sportsman’s club is recognized and respected as an outstanding organization in Nashville; helping to educate on conservation and gun safety as well as providing mentorship and sponsorship to young sportsmen and sportswomen.