Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery
National Register of Historic Places

Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery

Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee
Listed
December 13, 1995
Type
Site
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
95001435

About this property

The Toussaint L'Ouverture County Cemetery is an historical African-American cemetery located in Franklin, Tennessee. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is named for Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution. The earliest recorded burials date from 1869, but it wasn't officially incorporated until 1884. It is "the oldest African American institution in continuous use" in Williamson County. The cemetery corporation which originally purchased the land and established the cemetery failed during the Great Depression in the United States. After the failure of the cemetery corporation, no entity was named successor and all the members of the original board of trustees have died. Consequently, ownership of the cemetery is unclear and no entity is legally responsible for its maintenance. Care of the cemetery has been support by the Toussaint L'Ouverture Cemetery Club hosted by the First Missionary Baptist Church in Franklin, TN. The club is a volunteer organization funded by donations and headed by Mattie B. Reeves. Starting in 2013, when the cemetery was added to the Historic Franklin Parks Cell Phone Tour, community support for the cemetery has expanded. On September 11, 2014, in cooperation with the United Way's Days of Caring program, about 150 community volunteers, many from the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, cleaned the grounds of the cemetery and headstones. On October 24, 2015, the Cemetery Club held another clean-up day.

Location

Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee
35.93050, -86.87695

Categories

BLACK
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Rest Haven Cemetery
Early Republic
0.2 mi
Franklin City Cemetery
Early Republic
0.3 mi
McLemore House
Civil War
0.4 mi
Hiram Masonic Lodge No. 7
Early Republic
0.5 mi
Mayberry, Henry H., House
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery listed on the National Register?

Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1995.

What type of historic resource is Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery?

Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery?

The period of significance for Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery?

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