Thomas Green Ryman
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Thomas "Tom" Green Ryman (October 12, 1841 – December 23, 1904), known as Capt. Tom Ryman, was a riverboat captain and riverboat company owner and businessman from
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. He built the Union Gospel Tabernacle, later known as the
Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (originally Union Gospel Tabernacle and renamed Grand Ole Opry House for a period) is a historic 2,362-seat live-performance venue and museum located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in the downtown core of Nashville, Tennesse ...
, a live performance venue and
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, which is named in his honor.


Early life

Ryman was born south of Nashville, the oldest male child of Capt. John Ryman and Sarah “Sallie” Ryman's five children, three older sisters and a younger brother.


Career

In 1864, Ryman followed his father into the riverboat business and bought his first steamer. He started three river businesses that he consolidated into the Ryman Line in 1885. At its peak, his Nashville-based fleet consisted of more than 30 boats, making him one of the most successful steamboat men on the
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
. He also owned a waterfront saloon, at one time the largest in the city.


Union Gospel Tabernacle

After hearing the Rev. Sam Jones speak at an outdoor
tent revival Tent revivals, also known as tent meetings, are a gathering of Christian worshipers in a tent erected specifically for revival meetings, evangelism, and healing crusades. Tent revivals have had both local and national ministries. The tent reviv ...
meeting in Nashville in 1885, Ryman proposed the construction of a tabernacle that would allow the people of Nashville to attend large-scale revivals indoors. Ryman had attended one of Jones' 1885 revivals with the intent to heckle, but was instead converted into a devout Christian, and soon after pledged to build the tabernacle. Construction took seven years to complete and cost . However, Jones held his first revival at the site on May 25, 1890, with only the building's foundation and walls standing. Architect
Hugh Cathcart Thompson Hugh Cathcart Thompson (1829–1919) was an American architect from Tennessee. Early life High Cathcart Thomson was born in 1829. Career Thompson designed fifty-six buildings during his career as an architect in Nashville, Tennessee.Christine ...
designed the structure. Exceeding its construction budget, the tabernacle opened in debt. Jones sought to name the tabernacle in Ryman's honor, but Ryman denied the request several times. After Ryman's death, the Tabernacle was renamed in his honor.


Personal life

In 1869, Ryman married Mary Elizabeth Ryman (née Baugh). They had seven children.


Death and funeral

Ryman died in 1904 at his home in Nashville. An estimated 4,000 people attended his funeral, held at the Tabernacle on Christmas Day. The Rev. Jones spoke at the service and once more proposed changing the Tabernacle's name to the Ryman Auditorium. He asked all who agreed with the suggestion to rise. According to ''
The Nashville American ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...
s December 26, 1904, account of the service, "as one person, the thousands who heard him were on their feet." Tom Ryman's final resting place is in
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) Mount Olivet Cemetery is a cemetery located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is located approximately two miles East of downtown Nashville, and adjacent to the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic Calvary Cemetery. It is open to the public during daylight ...
.


See also

*
Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (originally Union Gospel Tabernacle and renamed Grand Ole Opry House for a period) is a historic 2,362-seat live-performance venue and museum located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in the downtown core of Nashville, Tennesse ...


References


Further reading

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External links


Captain Tom Ryman
at
Ryman Auditorium Ryman Auditorium (originally Union Gospel Tabernacle and renamed Grand Ole Opry House for a period) is a historic 2,362-seat live-performance venue and museum located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in the downtown core of Nashville, Tennesse ...

Ryman Family Papers
(digitized content) at
Tennessee State Library and Archives The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), established in 1854, currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. According to the Tennessee Blue Book, the Library and Archives "collects and preserves books and records of h ...

Ryman Family Papers, S-19, AC. NO. 81-015
at
Tennessee State Library and Archives The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), established in 1854, currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. According to the Tennessee Blue Book, the Library and Archives "collects and preserves books and records of h ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryman, Thomas Green 1841 births 1904 deaths People from Nashville, Tennessee Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville) 19th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Nashville, Tennessee