How I arrived at Dutchman's Curve
By Betsy Thorpe

In 1988 I moved to Nashville from Eugene Oregon with my
husband Peter and daughter Ruby. History has always
fascinated me, and living in a city with more than
two centuries of recorded history stimulated my imagination.
We lived on Music Row for over fifteen years.
I discovered local lore and history exploring my neighborhood's past. Hillsboro Village, Belmont Villa, South Street, and Sixteenth Avenue South, appears to be one Nashville locale, but each has it's own unique history and I absorbed them all.

In 2001 we moved to West Nashville and one year later my life was forever altered by the death of my husband.
Time and grief worked together and I very slowly let go of my old life and started looking forward, hoping
to find a project to occupy my mind and fill long empty hours.

In November of 2006 I began studying the history
of my neighborhood. It was exciting, West Nashville has a very interesting past. I read "West Nashville, it's people and environs", by Sarah Foster Kelley. The book intrigued me, especially the story of the worst train wreck in U.S. history. The train wreck at Dutchman's Curve.

Perhaps it was a twist of fate, but something unusual occurred after I read Ms. Kelly's account of Dutchman's Curve. The story, untold for nine decades revealed itself, and the voices of the lost souls,released from the silence that muted them for so many years collectivley compelled me to make their acquaintance. I now know most of them by name, and where they were born. I know the names of many of their mothers and I have had the pleasure of meeting several of thier descendents. They entrusted me with their story, and I often sense their guidance as I unravel the threads of history. I do not know why I was selected to tell this story, but I do know it was presented to me as a gift and I must tell it.