Pulaski riot freedmen gathered at the door of the store, some eighteen whites rushed and shot at them at close range. They murdered one man, mortally wounded another, and injured four. No white was injured or prosecuted. The incident was investigated by the Freedmen's Bureau office of Nashville, Tennessee. In December 1865, white Confederate veterans had founded the Ku Klux Klan, a secret vigilante organization, in Pulaski. Chapters had been started in numerous other towns in Tennessee and other states. Members generally operated in groups and often threatened intended victims at night, trying to suppress black political actions and sometimes economic enterprises.
Pulaski Expressway from Adams Avenue was selected to avoid displacing residents and businesses. The routing had several alternatives including aligning with Adams Avenue (cutting through cemeteries or avoiding them), go through Tacony Creek Park, using the Reading Railroad spur east of Adams Avenue, or cutting through Simpson Memorial Park. At this time, the Pulaski Expressway north of US 1 was canceled. During the 1970s, opposition grew toward the construction of the Pulaski Expressway. In 1975, the first two houses were demolished for the new freeway, and a group called United Communities Against the Pulaski Expressway erected a monument at the site that