Teachers and students describe John B. Whitsitt Elementary School as a microcosm of Nashville. Its teachers and students speak nine languages, and the school flies the flags of 22 nations in the main hallway.
There’s no question about the school’s embrace of diversity in its Woodbine neighborhood.
But take a look at where the school is located. It’s on Whitsett Road, near Whitsett Park — both of which spell this name with an ‘e’ and not an ‘i.’
This contradiction in spellings has baffled some. Nicholas, who lives nearby, wrote Curious Nashville to ask:
Why is John B. Whitsitt Elementary School spelled with two “i”s when it is located on Whitsett road? What is the reason for the two different spellings?
“We’re trying to figure out why it stands out from the road on which it resides,” he says.
To find out, it helps to go back to the time when the name rose to local prominence.
An untiring Baptist
On Jan. 31, 1771, James Whitsitt was born in Amherst County, Virginia.
He grew up in the Episcopal Church, which was the established church of what was a British colony at the time. However, he knew nothing of an experience of grace. This would change a few years later, when Whitsitt saw a Baptist revival.
He converted and went on to earn a license to preach in 1790, moving to Tennessee to live with his family.
By 1792, Whitsitt’s father-in-law would acquire 640 acres of land on the east side of Mill Creek. He organized Mill Creek Baptist Church. Whitsitt would take pride in this church by becoming Mill Creek’s first pastor and serving for more than 50 years.
By 1800, Whitsitt built Flat Rock Academy out of handmade bricks on Whitsitt Lane.
George Franklin Watson, a Williamson County historian, described Whitsitt as a pastor who worked with “untiring faithfulness” for the church’s cause.
Whitsitt passed away in 1849. But his grandson John would make another lasting impact for the Woodbine neighborhood.
Passion for education
John B. Whitsitt was born May 27, 1844.
Along with his brother, they fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Afterward, Whitsitt married Anna Maria Moore and went on to have six children.
He became passionate about education and served as a member of the Board of Education.
Whitsitt’s daughter Margaret even shared her father’s love of education by teaching at Flat Rock School.
In 1919, Whitsitt passed away at the age of 75.
Metro Schools decided to honor Whitsitt’s legacy by building a new elementary school on his old property in 1950. It opened on Oct. 23 of that year, welcoming 290 students and eight teachers. 
Today, the elementary school is one of five in the city that provides a STEAM-centric education.
Saul Calzadilla, Whitsitt’s engineering teacher, says they work to provide experiential education.
“We always try to incorporate as many real-world experiential lessons as we can so the students have a well-rounded understanding of how to solve problems and the ability to generalize skills beyond the classroom,” he says.
The spelling mix-up
It turns out that name spellings over such a long period of time can be more fluid than we might expect.
“There is a lack of consistency in the spelling of early names,” says Davidson County Historian Carole Bucy.
There’s a mix of evidence for both Whitsitt and Whitsett.
A map from 1871 references a property owned by J. Whitsett and the nearby Whitsett Church — both with the ‘e.’
Yet the gravestone of Amelia Whitsitt Edwards at Mount Olive Cemetery uses the ‘i.’
Books and articles about the Whitsitt family also show variation with the spelling. William H. Whitsitt’s journal article spells his family name with an ‘i’ but a Williamson County Historical Society article uses “Whitsitt” and “Whitsett” interchangeably.
“From time to time, there are often mistakes like this,” says Bucy, “that seem to not ever get corrected.”
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