Preliminary Site Assessmentdocshare04.docshare.tips/files/23487/234873000.pdfIn December 2013, Moser, Jim Lund President of the Maury County Historical Society, Kenny L. Anderson,

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May 2014

Preliminary Site Assessment

Rose Hill and Rosemount Cemeteries

Columbia, Maury County, TN

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Preliminary Site Assessment

Rose Hill and Rosemount Cemeteries

Columbia,

Maury County, TN

Prepared for:

Rose Hill Cemetery

Rosemount Cemetery

Prepared by: Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU

Ginna Foster Cannon, Graduate Research Assistant

Michael Fletcher, Graduate Research Assistant

Teresa Prober, Graduate Research Assistant

Susan London-Sherer Graduate Research Assistant

Dr. Stacey Graham, Research Professor

May 2014

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Table of Contents

Background of the Study……………………………………………………4

Methodology…………………………………………………………………5

Historical Assessment………………………………………………………..6

History of Columbia, Maury County………………………………………….6

History of Rosemount Cemetery……………………………………………....9

History of Rose Hill Cemetery……………………………………………….13

Iconography…………………………………………………………………..15

Preservation Considerations………………………………………………..42

Heritage Development………………………………………………………57

Civil War Trails Marker…………………………………………………….. 57

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………61

Appendices…………………………………………………………………..64

Deed for Rosemount…………………………………………………………64

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Power Point………………………….65

Civil War Soldiers Interred at Rosemount and Rose Hill…………………...80

Civil War Trails Marker Application………………………………………..81

National Register Information Packet Forms………………………………..90

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Background of the Study

In October 2013, Danny Moser a member of the Board of Trustees for Rose Hill

Cemetery in Columbia, TN contacted MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation (CHP) for

planning advice. The Board identified the need to increase the visibility of the cemetery

within its own community and region at large. Despite its substantial annual budget of

$200,000, Rose Hill faces increased operating costs and decreased plot sales. Moser would

like to have the cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of

its historic and cultural importance. The listing would be valuable in attracting more

visitors, garnering fundraising support, and lending heft to grant proposals. While

aknowledging the value of Rose Hill, the CHP advocated a joint project with the adjacent

African American cemetery, Rosemount. The significance of the cultural landscape –

cemetery district – can only be understood when both sides of mirror cemeteries are

assessed together. In December 2013, Moser, Jim Lund President of the Maury County

Historical Society, Kenny L. Anderson, Sr. Pastor of Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist

Church representative for Rosemount, and Dr. Stacey Graham and Katie Randall of the

CHP, toured the cemeteries together. After the meeting, Moser commented that it was the

first time in sixty years that representatives from both cemeteries came together for a

mutual purpose.

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Methodology

In conjunction with the CHP, a team of MTSU graduate students in the Spring 2014

Seminar for Historic Preservation researched and assessed Rose Hill and Rosemount

Cemeteries under the direction of Dr. Graham. The work was divided: Susan London-

Sherer researched the historic significance of Rose Hill as well as analyzed the cemetery’s

iconography; Michael Fletcher researched the historic significance of Rosemount; Ginna

Foster Cannon assessed the preservation needs of Rosemount and researched historic

cemetery best practices; and Teresa Prober researched the Civil War Trails Marker for the

cemetery district. This report is a precursor to preparing a cemetery district nomination for

the National Registry as well as a Civil War Trails Marker.

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History of Columbia, Maury County, TN

Maury County is located 30 miles southwest of Nashville and has an estimated

population of 84,000 people.1 Maury County formed from Sections of Williamson and

Dickson Counties, named for TN state senator Abram Maury was established November

16, 1807. Settlers came to the region for the fertile soil perfect for growing tobacco, cotton,

and raising livestock. Maury County experienced two major shifts in agriculture after the

Civil War. Farmers switched from cotton to grain and expanded the existing livestock

industry. From this, Cleburne Jersey Farm near Spring Hill became nationally known for its

dairy production, and sold Jersey cattle to many other farms in the region. During these

years, however, tobacco became the county's largest cash crop.2 Agriculture is still a major

part of Maury County’s economy producing wheat, grain, corn, sorghum, and cotton as

well as beef cattle.

High grade brown phosphate discovered by William Shirley at Mount Pleasant in

1888 not only provided nutrients that enriched the soil and contributed to the regions

agricultural success, this discovery launched a mining industry that flourished for more

than one hundred years. Hooker, Monsanto, Occidental and Stauffer phosphate mining

companies employed thousands of Maury County residents until environmental concerns

and dwindling resources forced its decline in the mid-1980s. Today Maury County has a

varied economy that includes auto manufacturer General Motors as well as a growing

1 Maury County’s population in 2013 was estimated at 82,000 and the total population of Tennessee was 6.5

million. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4716540.html 2 Marise P. Lightfoot, “Maury County” entry in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=847.

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=847

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tourist industry with increased interest in Maury County’s historic sites.3 The single most

popular event is Columbia’s Annual Mule Day held in April.

Columbia, the county seat, was laid out and lots sold in 1808. At that time, the town

consisted of four-square blocks; it was incorporated in 1817.4 Columbia remains the largest

city in Maury County with an estimated population of 35,000 people.5 Measuring thirty-

two square miles, the population density in the city is more than eight times higher than

that of the rest of the county.6 Columbia also has a good size African American community

making up 21% of the total population compared to 13% for the county as a whole.7

During the first half of the twentieth century, race relations in Columbia were often

tense culminating in the Columbia Race Riot, 1946. According to the Tennessee

Encyclopedia of History and Culture, “This post-World War II race riot occurred in the

town of Columbia on the night of February 25-26, 1946. Like other outbreaks of violence

in the South in the immediate postwar era, this incident involved military veterans who

were unwilling to accept prevailing racial norms upon returning to their hometowns. In

1946 Columbia contained about five thousand whites and three thousand blacks. Race

relations in the county had often been tense in the prior generation; since 1925, for

example, two lynchings had taken place there. But racial violence decreased during World

War II, and in the postwar months there were few indications of future trouble.”8 But on

the night of February 25, 1946, African Americans rioted to prevent the lynching of James

3 Except for the resort counties, Maury County annually welcomes a larger number of tourists that any other

rural county in Tennessee.” Marise P. Lightfoot, “Maury County” entry in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=847. 4 Lightfoot, “Maury County” entry in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture

5 U.S. Census population estimate for Columbia was for 2012.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4716540.html 6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

8 Carroll Van West, “Columbia Race Riots, 1946” entry in Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture,

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=296.

http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=847http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=296

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Stephenson, a 19 year old black Navy veteran, accused of assaulting a white repairman at a

local store. Four officers were shot trying to enter the black business district. In response,

the Tennessee Highway Patrol brought in over seventy policemen to quell the riot leading

to the arrest of more than a hundred African Americans. Then, two days later, two

detainees were killed by the police. “The Columbia "riot" made headlines across the state

and the nation. Walter White and Thurgood Marshall of the National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People immediately flew to Nashville in order to organize a legal

defense. White met with Governor James N. McCord and announced the creation of a

national defense committee. Marshall turned to Tennessee attorneys Z. Alexander Looby of

Nashville and Maurice Weaver of Chattanooga for assistance.”9 Historian Gail Williams

O’Brien argued that the episode in Columbia was “emblematic of a nationwide shift during

the 1940s from mob violence against African Americans to increased confrontations

between blacks and the police and courts.”10

9 Ibid.

10 Gail Williams O’Brien, The Color of Law: Race, Violence and Justice in the Post-World War South.

Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

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History of Rosemount Cemetery

Established in 1873, Rosemount Cemetery has served Columbia, Tennessee’s

African American community for almost 150 years. A so-called “mirror cemetery,”

because it is bounded on the west and south by the city’s white cemetery, Rose Hill,

Rosemount sits on a hill that gently slopes to the east. It is the final resting place for many

of Columbia’s prominent black citizens, including Dr. J.C. Halfacre, a prominent physician

who died in 1896. Dr. Halfacre served as an alderman from Columbia’s Third Ward. He is

possibly the earliest African American to serve in Columbia’s city government.11

For this

reason, and many others, Rosemount serves as a focal point for Maury County’s African

American history.

On August 25, 1873, the Trustees of the Rosemount Cemetery, Thomas Mackey,

Richard Sanderson, Balaam Frierson, Frank Wigfall, Levi Eules, A. Cheatham, Bradley

Dobbins, Washington Kennedy, and Manuel Donelson, purchased five acres of land from

William Anderson, a white doctor and land owner. This purchase was the culmination of a

search that had taken several months. In March, the Nashville Union & Advertiser

newspaper reported that the “colored citizens of Columbia are to have Cemetery.”12

Previously, African Americans were buried in Greenwood Cemetery, but by 1873

Greenwood was full. At the time, the Trustees were looking to purchase 16 acres at the

western edge of Columbia called the Holland Tract, reportedly for $500.00.13

The City

government agreed to contribute $250.00 to the project on the condition that 1 ½ acres be

set aside as an African American pauper burial ground. The purchase stalled, however, as

11

Jill K. Garrett, „Hither and Yon II‟: More of the Writings of Jill K. Garrett, ed. by Carese Parker

(Polk Memorial Assoc. N/D), 331. 12

Cornelia Braden, Nashville Union & Advertiser, 3/23/1873, quoted in In My Father‟s Kingdom

There Are Many Mansions, ( Maury County Archives, N/P, 1986), n/p. 13

Columbia Herald, 3/21/1873, in Ibid., n/p.

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the ground on the tract was too rocky. By August, the Trustees settled on the present five

acres for $800, for which they paid $500 in cash, the remainder due on January 1, 1874.

The cemetery was financed by subscriptions for individual and family plots and

contributions, probably from the congregations of the several African American churches

in the community. William “Cap” Jordan and Richard Sanderson, both local ministers,

were among the first subscribers. Of the other eight trustees, not much is known except for

Frank Wigfall, a brick mason, Manuel Donelson, a carriage driver, and Balaam Frierson,

the new minister of Mt. Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Mackey served as

the cemetery’s first president and sexton.

On December 19, the Columbia Herald reported that lots in the cemetery were

ready for sale.14

Since then, the community has laid to rest many distinguished citizens.

Among them are Isaiah Gholston, a builder and a minister, who constructed the Gholston

Methodist Church (now Bethel AME Church) on the corner of Glade and Helm (11th

) St.15

Edmund Kelly also rests at Rosemount. Kelly was a founder of Mt. Lebanon Church and

after emancipation he was one of the leading figures in the cause of African American

education in Maury County. In January, 1900, Columbia witnessed the burial of “Old

Bragg,” Braxton Bragg, the formerly enslaved man-servant to the Confederate general.

Though the grave’s location is unknown today, his funeral was reportedly conducted by

Columbia’s white citizens and arranged by the Daughters of the Confederacy.16

Rosemount is the final resting place for many of Columbia’s prominent citizens and

heroes, including members of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), men who fought

14

Ibid., n/p. 15

Garrett, Hither and Yon II, 331. 16

Michael Edward Bennett, The Duck River Valley Chronicle: A Brief history of Maury County,

Tennessee Bicentennial Edition 1807 – 2007, (2009), 292.

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valiantly during the Civil War. Rosemount, Columbia’s first urban African American

cemetery, is also the largest of Maury County’s African American cemeteries.17

For this

reason, it serves as a focal point, an illustration of struggle, strength and survival, for

Maury County’s African American history.

Beyond its local significance, however, we can frame Rosemount’s importance in a

wider regional and national context. The National Register of Historic Places recognizes

several similar post-emancipation cemeteries. One of these, Mt. Olivet Cemetery in

Jackson, Mississippi, has been described as “a microcosm of Jackson’s historic African

American community and forms a cornerstone in the early formation of distinctly ethnic

properties following the Civil War…”18

In common with Mt. Olivet, and many other

African American cemeteries across the South, Rosemount signifies the transition of a

people from enslavement to freedom, a people forming their own institutions and self-

sufficiency, in spite of legal and social constraints imposed by whites.

Nationally, historic cemeteries are a rich source of study and information. They

provide us a unique window into the past. Cemeteries serve as a source of cultural and

societal memory. Further, they are cultural and historic landscapes, often shaped by

fashions and events. Their physical presence reminds us of the past in a more urgent way

than books or documents. Long-term use allows us to examine and ponder, in a single

place, changes in social, cultural and religious ideas which otherwise might escape our

attention.

17

Jo Ann Williams McClellan, Gone But Not Forgotten: African American Cemeteries and 1908-

1930 Death Records of Maury County, TN., (Nashville, Tn.: Author’s Corner, 2009), xi. 18

Nancy Adgent Morgan, Anne-Leslie Owens and Carroll Van West, “Mt. Olivet National Register

of Historic Places Nomination” (Murfreesboro, Tn.: MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, 2001), 6.

12

This brief account only outlines the highlights of Rosemount’s history and we are

left with many unanswered questions. Here we have opportunities for future research. One

of the major questions concerns the large area of unmarked graves. Local tradition has it

that this served as a burial ground for enslaved people before the War, yet we learn from

the deed that the city of Columbia donated $250 towards the purchase of the land with the

condition that a portion be set aside as a pauper burying ground. Further research might

reveal the nature of these unmarked burials. A new inventory of legible stones with a map

of their location would also be a valuable addition to the historic record. Comparing this

list with earlier inventories will help build a more complete picture of those buried at

Rosemount. Likewise, oral history interviews could add much to our knowledge of

Rosemount. Many organizations find it useful as a community building exercise to conduct

such interviews among themselves. The Center for Historic Preservation’s Dr. Rachel

Martin offers workshops, teaching members of the community how to conduct oral history

interviews, making this important resource a community-centered project. Finally, it would

be worthwhile to build relationships with local genealogy groups. Such groups can serve as

both sources and repositories of information on those buried at Rosemount.

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History of Rose Hill Cemetery

Columbia, Tennessee’s Rose Hill Cemetery is an extraordinary historic resource

that allows the visitor to meander back through time all the way to the Victorian era. A

walk through the cemetery’s rolling hillside landscape provides a feast of beauty for the

eyes, and an abundance of symbolism straight from the hearts of Columbia’s ancestors.

The cemetery is the final resting place of nearly 12,000 Tennesseans who called Columbia

and the surrounding areas home. The gravemarkers associated with the cemetery’s earliest

burials date to the early 1850s, and reflect cultural beliefs and practices that can be

associated with a wider garden cemetery movement that took place in America from the

1830s through the 1870s.

Rose Hill Cemetery‟s rolling hillside landscape

Columbia founded its first cemetery out of necessity in 1809. Greenwood

Cemetery was the town’s earliest, but by the 1850s, further expansion at Greenwood

Cemetery seemed unlikely due to sub-surface rock and the fear of overcrowding.

Columbia mayor, Meredith Helm, donated a percentage of his farmland for the purpose of

establishing a new cemetery. Rose Hill Cemetery opened to the public in 1853, and

became the fashionable, new alternative to the older Greenwood Cemetery. Rose Hill

14

Cemetery boasts a fusion of both the rural Upland South folk graveyard tradition and the

new, European-inspired, Victorian garden cemetery.

15

Iconography of Rose Hill Cemetery

Columbia, Tennessee

Winged cherub with palm frond at Rose Hill Cemetery, Columbia Tennessee

16

A Brief History of the Evolution of the Garden Cemetery

In the 1700s, Europe saw a population boom that led to a shortage of space in cities

and towns, in which to bury the dead. Churchyards were filled with graves piled one on

top of another and the threat of disease became imminent. In Paris, an incident at the

Cimetière des Innocents caused horror and outrage among the people. After an unusually

rainy spring, the walls containing the cemetery collapsed, spilling bones, and exposing

decomposing bodies for all to see. The public was outraged and demanded reform. New

laws governing burials and burial methods were enacted as a means to not only protect the

living from the dead, but also as a means of relocating cemeteries to the outskirts of towns,

instead of in churchyards, which were generally located in town centers.

Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France, founded in 1804, is considered to be the

prototype for the garden cemetery movement.19

The garden cemetery concept quickly

spread to America. The idea of the garden cemetery was inspired by both the need to

locate cemeteries on the outskirts of town, and the desire to lay family members to rest in a

beautiful park-like, landscaped setting that nurtured not only the dead, but also the soul of

the living.

Winding, park-like avenue and monument at the Chopin grave.

Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France (Photos courtesy of Voyage-Webguide).

19 Gaylord Cooper, STORIES TOLD IN STONE Cemetery Iconology: A Manual for Genealogy Research (Louisville: MotesBooks, 2009), 11.

17

The First American Garden Cemeteries

The first American garden cemetery, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge,

Massachusetts, was established in 1831.20

Mount Auburn’s great popularity stemmed from

its beautiful, park-like setting with mature trees, roads, and walking paths. The landscape

had an architectural design that allowed visitors to enjoy the lush surroundings, which were

inspired by English gardens, while they traveled leisurely throughout the circuit of the

cemetery, reflecting on memories of lost loved ones.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery – Freeland tomb encased by lush green landscape.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery’s popularity gave rise to similar garden cemeteries across the

country. Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, Laurel Hill Cemetery in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia are all

examples of early American garden cemeteries.

20 Mount Auburn Cemetery, “Cemetery,” http:// http://mountauburn.org/cemetery/ [accessed April 11, 2014].

http://mountauburn.org/cemetery/

18

(L) Green-Wood Cemetery – Brooklyn, New York (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

(R) Laurel Hill Cemetery – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Photo Laurel Hill Cemetery)

Hollywood Cemetery - Richmond, Virginia - Haxall family plot (Photo John O. Peters)

19

These cemeteries became veritable galleries of fine art devoted to the departed.

They hold the sentimental remembrances lovingly carved in stone that mark the spot where

the beloved rests eternally. Victorian funerary ethics of the nineteenth century led the

practice of mourning to become a well-established social ritual. At the “Wartime Widows:

Victorian Mourning Customs of the Civil War Era” exhibit at the Oaklands Historic House

Museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, they point out that “the impressions and approval of

others governed individual behavior, and those that ignored proper etiquette faced social

ostracism.”21

It became socially conventional, even advantageous, to display grief through

meaningful, substantial monuments and works of stone artwork devoted to the departed.

Mid-nineteenth century Romanticism and the Second Great Awakening inspired the

addition of magnificent full-bodied sculptures and striking memorials dedicated to the

dead, and representative of the social status and wealth of the living. These spectacular

pieces of artwork are laden with symbolic meaning. They speak volumes about the cultural

values and funerary practices of mid-nineteenth century Americans.

21 Oaklands Historic House Museum, “Wartime Widows: Victorian Mourning Customs” http://oaklandsmuseum.org/education-programs/wartime- widows-victorian-mourning-customs/

[accessed May 1, 2014].

http://oaklandsmuseum.org/education-programs/wartime-%09widows-victorian-mourning-customs/

20

Full-Bodied Guardian Angel Sculpture

Miles Coleman Mays January 12, 1846 – September 27, 1887.

Rose Hill Cemetery, Columbia, Tennessee

These artifacts are tremendously important pieces of artwork. They hold immeasurable

value to the family members who placed them, and they are laden with symbolism and

significant meaning. In terms of cultural value, these collections of funerary artwork,

including the one at Rose Hill Cemetery, are priceless.

21

Mourning As A Social Institution

The development of the American garden cemetery, in the Victorian period, helped

to propel the practice of mourning to the status of a social institution.22

New businesses

cropped up that catered to the bereaved, offering mourning clothes, books about mourning,

and custom-made gravestones reflective of individual beliefs and sentiments. Elaborately

carved gravestone icons emerged as a means of thoughtfully remembering the dead through

symbolism and sentimentalism. The garden cemetery movement led to a shift in thinking

among American people, away from death as the cruel end to a harsh life, and toward the

possibilities that lie beyond death, in the afterlife.

Full-Bodied Angel Sculpture

Rose Hill Cemetery, Columbia, Tennessee

Gravestone symbols transformed from the earliest Puritan skull-and-crossbone

carvings of the seventeenth century, to winged angels and cherubs in the eighteenth

century. By the late nineteenth century, gravestone iconography expanded to include a

wide variety of imagery including: crosses, willow trees, urns, obelisks, and flowers just to

22

Cooper, 11.

22

name a few. Many of these symbolic icons can be interpreted as representative of the

themes of rebirth, the afterlife, and eternity.

The Cross – Christian symbol of religious faith and resurrection

Rose Hill Cemetery

Finger pointing toward the sky indicating the soul has gone to Heaven

Rose Hill Cemetery

23

Rose Hill Cemetery: Fusion of the Old and the New

Inspired by the new American garden cemetery movement of the 1830s, Rose Hill

Cemetery sought to establish itself as a tranquil, final resting place for the deceased, that

also addressed the needs of the living. Rose Hill Cemetery combined concepts from the

new garden cemetery movement with concepts from the rural Upland South folk graveyard

tradition to create something new and distinctive in Columbia: a cemetery infused with the

cultural elements of both styles. A blend of the old and the new prevailed at Rose Hill.

Women in mourning statues at Rose Hill Cemetery

Women were the expected mourners of the Victorian era.

Their presence in the cemetery connotes sorrow and grief over the loss of a loved one.

In keeping with the rural Upland South cemetery tradition, Rose Hill Cemetery is

situated on a scenic hilltop and, for the most part, exhibits east-west grave orientation,

although some exceptions do apply. The landscape also reveals the presence of towering,

mature trees, including majestic evergreens, which are symbolically connected to

immortality.

24

Evergreen trees at Rose Hill Cemetery are symbolic of immortality.

Rose Hill exhibits an architectural design that incorporates roads, walkways, and

staircases, which allow the visitor to move throughout the entire landscape circuit, taking in

the otherworldly beauty, and reflecting upon personal memories. The flow of the cemetery

encourages mourners to move throughout the planned landscape as they seek solace in the

serenity of the environment.

The garden cemetery movement inspired architectural elements at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Roads, walkways, and paths allow for easier access for visitors,

and encourage travel throughout the circuit of the cemetery.

25

Cemeteries like Rose Hill were often the first places where private, middle-class

Americans could view such fine pieces of artwork and sculpture. These magnificent works

of art transported people far away from the grim reality of their everyday lives, and into a

place of beauty, serenity, and hopefulness for the future. Rose Hill Cemetery became a

place where Maury County’s middle- and upper-class could display wealth and family

prestige. Some families could even afford to commission companies such as Muldoon

Company in Louisville, Kentucky, for elaborate tombstone monuments.

Mid-nineteenth century winged cherub head at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Iconography at Rose Hill Cemetery

The term iconography comes from the Greek, and translates literally to “image

writing.” Gravestones are emblazoned with images, icons, and meaningful symbols that

can provide us with clues about past cultural attitudes and beliefs. Studying the diverse

array of symbols, carvings, monuments, motifs, and icons that are found in cemeteries

26

everywhere can address historical and cultural attitudes about death, dying, and burial

practices, which are often reflected in motifs on the gravestones themselves.

Standard gravestone motifs of the Victorian Era include the dove, the open bible,

the cross, the crown, and the finger pointing toward Heaven. These particular motifs are

particularly widespread throughout the Upland South, and are all present in Rose Hill

Cemetery, along with an intriguing array of other symbols and motifs. These symbols

appear to communicate an intensely fundamentalist religious interpretation of death, dying,

and an afterlife.

Iconography Study at Rose Hill Cemetery

Image Name Meaning

Weeping Willow Tree

In Christianity, the weeping

willow tree is associated

with the gospel of Christ.

The symbolism dictates that

no matter how many

branches are cut off, the tree

will remain intact. The

willow tree is often found

paired with the lamb in

cemeteries.

Lamb

In funerary art, lambs

generally mark the graves of

children. The lamb

symbolizes innocence and

refers to Christ, who is often

depicted as the Lamb of

God.

27

Sleeping Angel

Often found on the graves of

children. “These celestial

beings are the closest to

humans.”23

They act as

intermediaries between God

and humanity, and are often

called our “guardian

angels.”

Open Bible

Representative of the

Christian faith, the word of

God, and knowledge.

Sometimes an open bible

can also represent the human

heart, “its thoughts and

feelings open to the world

and to God.”24

Cross with Crown

A Christian symbol of the

dominion of the Lord.

When the two symbols are

combined, the cross

represents Christianity and

the crown represents victory.

Can also be associated with

members of the York Rite

Masons.

23 Douglas Keister, Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography (Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2004): 168.

24

Keister, 113.

28

Flowers

There was an extensive

symbolic language of

flowers in the nineteenth

century. “Flowers remind us

of the beauty and the brevity

of life.”25

Flowers have

been a symbol of

remembrance since people

began memorializing the

dead. The Egyptians were

the first to extensively use

flowers in funerary rites.

Dove

The dove is a symbol of

purity and peace and is

associated with the Holy

Ghost. It is the most

commonly seen animal

symbol in cemeteries. The

dove is often seen holding

an olive branch, a reference

to the dove that Noah sent to

search for land.26

Clasping Hands

Clasping hands are most

commonly associated with

matrimony. When looking

at the sleeves, one appears

feminine and the other

masculine. If the sleeves

appear to be gender neutral,

the clasping hands may

represent “a heavenly

welcome or an earthly

farewell.”27

25

Keister, 41, 79. 26

Ibid., 79. 27

Ibid., 108.

29

Urn

(Draped)

The draped urn is a common

funerary symbol from the

19th

century. The urn and

the willow tree were two of

the first motifs to replace the

“death’s heads” effigies after

the Revolutionary War. The

drapery symbolizes

mourning and the veil

between earth and the

heavens.28

Obelisk

(Egyptian Revival Period)

The obelisk became popular

during the Egyptian Revival

Period of the nineteenth

century and continued to be

popular well into the 1920s.

The obelisk is representative

of a ray of sunlight. To

appease Christians,

designers of obelisks often

added Christian symbolism

to soften their pagan image.

Obelisks were considered to

be tasteful, with pure

uplifting lines, associated

with greatness, and were less

costly and space consuming

than elaborate sculpted

monuments.29

28

Ibid., 137.

29

The Association for Gravestone Studies, “Symbolism on Gravestones (/knowledge-center/symbolism),”

https://www.gravestonestudies.org/knowledge-center/symbolism#faqnoanchor [accessed April 11, 2014].

https://www.gravestonestudies.org/knowledge-center/symbolism#faqnoanchor

30

Woodmen of the World

(WOW)

“Tree-stump tombstones” often

mark the final resting places of

Woodmen of the World

organization members. The

organization was founded in

1890, and was originally open

to white males between the

ages of 18 to 45. WOW

specifically excluded men in

dangerous vocations like train

brakeman or gunpowder

factory employee. Today, the

organization is known as the

Woodmen of the World Life

Insurance Society/Omaha

Woodmen Life Insurance

Society. Tree stump

tombstones not associated with

WOW members are also seen

in Tennessee cemeteries, and in

these cases, signify a life that

has been cut short.30

Freemasons/Masons

And

City Mansions

The symbol of the Freemasons

is the square and compass.

Oftentimes, inside the symbol

is the letter G, which some say

stands for geometry, while

others say it stands for God.

“The square and compass

represent the interaction

between mind and matter and

refer to the progression from

the material to the intellectual

to the spiritual.”31

The

cityscape imagery is a

reference to the King James

version of the bible quote from

John 14:2: “In my Father‟s

house are many mansions: if it

were not so, I would have told

you. I go to prepare a place

for you.” The meaning of the

quote is that there is room in

Heaven for everyone if they

follow the scripture of the

Bible.

30

Keister, 188. 31

Keister, 191.

31

Scroll

The scroll represents a

decorative way of presenting

inscription or bible

references.

Winged Army Shield

United States Aviator

The first United States

Aviator Badges were issued

to members of the Air

Service during World War I.

The badges were issued in

three degrees: Observer (a

"US" shield and one left-

side wing), Junior Aviator or

Reserve Aviation Officer (a

"US" shield between two

wings), and Senior Aviator

(a star over "US" shield

between two wings).

Daughters of the American

Revolution

(DAR)

The Daughters of the

American Revolution is a

non-profit women's

organization for the

descendants of American

Revolutionary War veterans.

Membership was open to

any woman 18 years or

older, regardless of race,

religion, or ethnic

background, who could

prove lineal descent from a

patriot of the American

Revolution.

32

Wreath

The wreath symbolizes

victory in death, honor,

and eternal love.

Classical Greek Revival

Architecture

Classical Greek Revival

architecture can be easily

recognized in funerary

art by its columns. These

monuments are inspired

by classic Greek and

Roman architecture.

Anchor and

Tree Stump

The anchor is a Christian

symbol of hope, strong

faith, and steadfastness.

The symbolism comes

from a bible passage in

the Epistle to the

Hebrews 6: 19 “Which

hope we have as an

anchor of the soul, both

sure and stedfast, and

which entereth into that

within the veil.” This

particular monument is

very elaborate, and was

possibly crafted by the

Muldoon Co. of

Louisville, Kentucky.

33

Cherub with Broken

Column

(Cherubim)

“These angels were sent

to guard the way of the

tree of life.”32

Recently,

cherubs have become

synonymous with

Valentine’s Day cards,

but they were originally

considered gatekeepers,

and generally can be seen

watching over the graves

of children. The broken

column signifies the end

of a life cut short. This

particular column was

salvaged from Central

High School circa 1915,

and is significant because

of the school-related

career of this particular

individual.

Corn

Corn is one of the

oldest harvested plants

in America. As

funerary artwork, it

symbolizes fertility and

rebirth. “In American

Indian culture the seeds

of an ear of corn

(maize) represent all

the people as well as all

the things in the

universe.”33

32

Keister, 167. 33

Ibid, 57.

34

Angel at

the Gates of Heaven

In Christian funerary

symbolism, imagery of

gates represents the

passage from one realm

to the next. Gates also

symbolize a portal to

the promised land, or

entry into the kingdom

of heaven.

Figure Pointing toward

the Heavens

A Christian symbol

signifying that the

departed is enjoying

heavenly sleep. The

pointing finger also

symbolizes a soul that

has “gone home” to

Jesus.

35

Angels

“Angels have always

played an active role in

Christian perceptions of

death.”34

Angels are the

symbolic messengers

between God and man.

Angel monuments are

complex in meaning,

revealing popular

Christian beliefs. This

Rose Hill angel is

believed to be a

“guardian angel,”

watching tenderly over

the gravesite with an

outstretched hand, meant

to hold a flower or wreath

to adorn the grave.

“Some interpret this pose

as a symbol of an

untimely death. Others

see it as symbolic of the

transitory nature of

life.”35

Example

of IHS symbol for clarity purposes only

IHS

This symbol is often

seen on crosses (and is

visible at Rose Hill

adorning the angel seen

above). The letters

overlay one another. It

is believed that IHS is

an abbreviation of the

Latin phrase in hoc

signo vinces, which

translates to “in this

sign you will conquer,”

and appeared to

Constantine in the form

of a vision. IHS stands

for the first three letters

of Jesus’ name when

using the Greek

alphabet: Iota, Eta,

Sigma.

34

Roark, 57. 35

Ibid., 82.

36

Angel Child

with Palm Frond

(Cherub)

Often found adorning

the graves of children,

as is the case here.

This cherub watches

over the gravesite of a

four-year-old child.

The palm frond is the

Christian adaptation of

the symbolic “martyr’s

triumph over death

and, by extension, any

believer’s triumph over

death.”36

Death’s Head

The death’s head symbol

has been evolving since

the early sixth century.

Along with the skull and

crossbones, there were

winged skulls, which then

evolved into human faces

called “soul effigies.”

With the emergence of the

garden cemetery in the

mid-19th

century, a winged

cherub, like the one seen

here at Rose Hill

Cemetery, replaced the

death’s head.

36

Keister, 63.

37

Mourning Figures

“Weepers” or “Pleurants”

These statues of women

are usually found in

classical dress. Women

are thought to be the

mourners of the human

race; the ones who are

expected to express

emotion. The presence of

these mourning women in

the cemetery signifies

sorrow and grief at the

loss of a loved one.

Father and Son

Family Headstone

Indicative of the

transitional phase of the

Upland South cemetery

tradition with an emphasis

on family plots and

elaborate monuments.

Ivy

Ivy is eternally green

even in the bleakest

environments. It

symbolizes immortality

and fidelity, and clings

to a support system, thus

making it symbolic of

attachment.

38

Tablet Gravestone

With

Crown Motif

A child’s tablet

gravestone at Rose Hill

Cemetery is indicative

of the crown of thorns

worn by Jesus.

Tablet Gravestone

With

Gothic Motif

The tower on this Rose

Hill Cemetery tablet

stone is indicative of

gothic architecture.

Because gothic

architecture did not rely

heavily on pagan

Classical styles, it is

closely related to

Christianity, and is the

first purely Christian

architecture.

39

Mausoleum

(Gordon Family)

When garden cemeteries

became popular in the

mid-19th

century,

mausoleums began to

appear on the landscape.

They generally fall into

one of six broad

categories that include:

Egyptian, Classical,

Gothic, and Baroque

architecture. The

Gordon mausoleum at

Rose Hill defies

classification in this

system, as it more

closely resembles a log

cabin, indicative of

American pioneers.

Ledger Stone

(Flat)

A ledger stone marking

a 9-year-old child’s

grave at Rose Hill

Cemetery. Ledger

stones were once

thought to seal the spirit

of the departed in the

grave, thus keeping the

spirit from aimlessly

wandering the earth.

40

Epitaph

Short verses from

poems or the bible often

appear on gravestones in

order to honor the dead.

Oftentimes, the

deceased chooses their

own epitaph in their

lifetime.

Bedstead Gravestones

The bedstead gravestone

is indicative of eternal

rest.

Box Tombs

(Above Ground)

Box tombs for above-

ground burials were

popular in the first half

of the 19th

century, and

can be seen at Rose Hill

Cemetery.

41

Family Plot

With

Broken Columns

The Whitthorne family

plot at Rose Hill

Cemetery. Four

members of the

Whitthorne family died

in September 1860 due

to exposure to cholera.

The broken columns

signify lives that have

been cut short.

Final Thoughts on the Iconography at Rose Hill Cemetery

Rose Hill Cemetery contains a stunning collection of some of the finest artistic and

sculptural stonework funerary art pieces that Tennessee has to offer. Religious themes and

icons abound, membership in secret societies and organizations is heartily accounted for,

and tradesmen and craftsmen are remembered fondly through the funerary artwork

representative of their lives. The Victorian folk art adorning the graves at Rose Hill

Cemetery exemplifies the changing cultural perceptions about death and dying, as well as

the growing sophistication of the American arts patron. People became increasingly more

interested in the cultural developments that were going on in America, and appreciated the

arts for their ability to portray sentimental, personal messages in magnificent, tasteful

sculptures that were rich in both beauty and symbolic meaning.

42

A heartfelt reminder of undying love at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Preliminary Preservation Plan: Rosemount Cemetery37

37

Photos taken on December 17, 2013 and February 5, 2014.

43

The initial conditions assessment for Rosemount Cemetery, conducted from

December 2013 through April 2014, makes a series of recommendations to support the

preservation of this important cultural and historic landscape for current and future

generations. The goal is to provide an overview of cemetery preservation and a list of

recommended resources as well as an inventory of issues and noteworthy items at

Rosemount including next steps. Ideas on how to generate awareness for the site within the

community are also provided. Our hope is that this assessment will serve as the first step in

crafting a comprehensive preservation plan for Rosemount. In addition to those we list,

future steps to consider include conducting an inventory of all the gravestones in the

cemetery (name, dates, location and other pertinent details) and analysis of the

iconography.38

Prior to embarking on the preservation of Rosemont, community organizers should

have a solid understanding of the basics of cemetery preservation. One place to start is with

the classic A Graveyard Preservation Primer, Second Edition (2013) by Lynnette

Strangstad. This book covers a wide range of topics from organizational concerns to

conservation issues to the ethics of cemetery preservation so that readers can make

informed decisions. A note about Stangstad’s approach – she is very conservative and

advocates having much of the work done by professional preservationists. This approach

works for communities with unlimited resources. For smaller communities with more

limited resources, state historical agencies may be a better resource. The websites provide a

host of information and many advocate a more do-it-yourself approach. Examples to look

out include Preservation of Arkansas’s Historic Cemeteries, Oregon’s Historic Cemetery

38

A possible model to follow for the inventory is Historic Rose Hill Cemetery Columbia, Tennessee (2011)

by Sandra Gibson Lindsey and Faye Elliott Jackson.

44

Preservation & Technical Support, and Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s Cemetery

Preservation.39

Prior to launching into a project such as cleaning gravestones, we advise

consulting an expert in cemetery preservation and hosting a training seminar for volunteers.

Dr. Carroll Van West, Director of MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, has mentioned

he would be willing to conduct such a seminar in Columbia. Most of the time, nothing

stronger than clean water and a natural, soft-medium bristle brush and tongue depressors

are recommended. See Appendix I for a presentation titled, “Cleaning Stone Grave

Markers.”

While there are and have been over the years many schools of thought on cemetery

preservation they all share a few basic tenets. 40

First, do no harm. This concept stresses the

fragility of cemeteries and their resources. For example, the rise of institutionalized lawn

care at cemeteries during the second half of the twentieth century increased the use of

lawnmowers, weed wackers, and pesticides. 41

Unfortunately, these machines can chip and

scratch grave markers without proper modifications and pesticides are known to corrode

markers. Mindful lawn care practices are an important aspect of preservation. Second, do

nothing that cannot be reversed. “Commonly-used but inappropriate and damaging

techniques include setting stones in concrete, repairing broken markers with concrete

instead of correct adhesive, and using adhesives, cleaning solutions and techniques that will

further damage the marker.”42

Training is an essential element of preservation. Third, if in

39

www.arkansaspreservation.com/preservation-services/cemetery-preservation/default.aspx,

http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OCHC/pages/ochc_preservation_.aspx and

http://www.illinois.gov/ihpa/Preserve/Cemetery/Pages/default.aspx. 40

http://www.illinois.gov/ihpa/Preserve/Cemetery/Pages/default.aspx 41

http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/preservation-services/cemetery-preservation/default.aspx 42

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, “Cemetery Preservation Training Facts,”

http://www.illinois.gov/ihpa/Preserve/Cemetery/Documents/Cemetery%20Preservation%20Fact%20Sheet.pd

f

http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/preservation-services/cemetery-preservation/default.aspxhttp://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OCHC/pages/ochc_preservation_.aspxhttp://www.illinois.gov/ihpa/Preserve/Cemetery/Pages/default.aspx

45

doubt contact an expert in cemetery preservation. This reinforces tenets one and two. For

the most part, experts agree on the basic do’s and don’ts of graveyard maintenance.

Basic Do’s and Don’ts of Graveyard Maintenance43

Do consider trash receptacles and benches. Remember that trash bins will require regularly scheduled emptying.

Do educate maintenance personnel regarding procedures for historic graveyard care.

Do equip mowers with a blade guard.

Don’t mow immediately next to stones. Instead, use a nylon whip (“weed eater”) or hand clippers for close trimming. Sometimes the better choice is an appropriate low-

lying groundcover.

Don’t use commercial herbicides around stones.

Do remove scrub trees and prune shrubs to prevent damage to stones and to enhance the life of the shrubs.

Do use signs to inform visitors of regulations. Signage, too, alters the graveyard, so keep it to a minimum within the site.

Do train volunteers before any cleanup is done at the site.

Below, please find an inventory of the issues we identified at Rosemont. The easiest

to accomplish are listed at the top and labeled short-term fix. The more difficult issues in

terms of labor and expense are labeled as medium-term and long-term fixes. This inventory

is intended to provide a place to start thinking about the issues facing the cemetery. It is a

resource to be consulted as long-term strategic goals are crafted.

43

Lynette Strangstad, A Graveyard Preservation Primer, Second Edition, Lanham, MD: Altamira Press,

2013, 70-71.

47

Issue Example from Rosemount Next Step

Trash strewn across

grounds especially

along brush and

retaining walls.

Consider adding trash

cans in discrete

locations, posting no

littering signs at the

entrance of the cemetery

and organizing a

community clean-up

day. Short-term fix.

Evidence of

lawncare related

damage. Chips

likely caused by

mower. Scratches

may be a result of a

weed wacker.

Place guards on

mowers. Hand clipper

recommended if

trimming near old

stones. If a weed wacker

is used then replace

metal threads with

nylon. Short-term fix.

Evidence of

lawncare related

damage. A large

section has broken

off likely to do a

mower hitting it

repeatedly. Old

stones are more

fragile.

Hand clipper

recommended if

trimming near old

stones. Short-term fix.

48

Grave stone located

in the brush along

the southern edge

of the cemetery.

Prune overgrowth.

Short-term fix.

Multiple grave

markers located in

the growth on the

western edge of the

cemetery including

recent ones – this

marker is from

1987.

Prune overgrowth.

Short-term fix.

Biological

deterioration caused

by algae, lichen,

fungi, mold and

moss. Biological

agents retain

moisture within the

stones.

Host a training session

with an expert in

cemetery preservation

for community

volunteers who want to

help remove biological

agents from the grave

stones. Note: Most

often, nothing stronger

than clean water, a

natural, soft-medium

bristle and wooden craft

stick is recommended.

Improper methods can

irreparably damage the

stones – each type of

stone requires a different

method. Medium-term

fix.

49

Broken concrete

retaining wall on

the southern edge

of the property.

Retaining wall

necessary to

prevent additional

soil erosion.

Call professional to

assess and fix the

retaining wall. Medium-

term fix.

Crumbling

cinderblock

retaining wall along

slope to southern

edge of the

property. A

functioning

retaining wall helps

to prevent further

erosion.

Call professional to

assess and fix the

retaining wall. Medium-

term fix.

Chain link fence

separating

Rosemount and

Rose Hill is in bad

repair.

Fix or replace fence. A

joint project with Rose

Hill? Medium-term fix.

50

Cinder block wall

around family plot

is crumbling.

Consider asking family

if they would like to

make a donation to fix

the wall. Medium-term

fix.

Grave stones have

detached and fallen

over.

Contact an expert in


for assessment and

repair work. Improper

repairs can irreparably

damage the stones.

Long-term fix.

Leaning headstones

and footstones.



for assessment and



damage the stones and

disturb the cultural and

historic landscape.

Long-term fix.

51

Grave stone fell

over and another

piece is broken/



for assessment and



damage the stones and

disturb the cultural and

historic landscape.

Long-term fix.

This next chart documents noteworthy preservation elements at Rosemount. There

are no fixes required. It, too, is meant to be a resource to be consulted in the strategic

planning process. Cemetery preservation is easier to understand when examples are

provided.

52

Noteworthy Example from Rosemount Next Step

Headstone detached

from stone base. It

was reattached with

what looks like

cement. This

approach is

inadvisable because

the cement retains

water. It also

impaired the

headstone’s historical

and artistic integrity.

It is a permanent fix

that cannot be undone

without further

damaging the stone.

No fix required.

The broken headstone

was reattached with

cement. See above

comments on using

cement for repairs.

No fix required.

53

Headstone appears to

have been righted

using a cement base.

See above comments

on using cement for

repairs.

No fix required.

The broken headstone

was reattached with a

metal plate. This

approach is

inadvisable because

metal will expand and

collapse with changes

in temperature. It also

impaired the

headstone’s historical

and artistic integrity.

It is a permanent fix

that cannot be undone

without further

damaging the stone.

No fix required.

54

See above for

comments on metal

braces.

No fix required.

Stone marker is in

unstable condition.

Do not try to clean

stones in this

condition.

No fix required.

This concrete marker

is in unstable

condition. Do not try

to clean.

No fix required.

55

Ramifications of

landscaping need to

be considered. Tree

grew up around the

gravestone.

No fix required.

Ramifications of

landscaping need to

be considered. Tree

roots appear to be

dislodging

headstones.

No fix required.

Ground depressions,

with and without

markers, are visible

throughout the

cemetery. As many

markers were made of

temporary materials,

the depressions speak

to large number of

burials at the site. Do

not fill in the

depressions.

No fix required.

56

See above for

comments on ground

depressions.

No fix required.

Generating Awareness:

Generating awareness of Rosemount within the African-American community in

Columbia will be an important part of a sustainable long-term preservation plan. The goal

of awareness is to expand the number of people vested in the cemetery’s well-being

whether that support comes from sitting on a oversight board, contributing funds or

volunteering labor and/or equipment. Successful cemetery preservation is a long-term

endeavor that requires funds and energetic volunteers.

Host clean-up days at the cemetery. Invite members, partners, like-minded associations and local scout troops. Also invite the media for some favorable press.

Give talks at local schools and civic groups. Invite attendees to other educational opportunities and volunteer days.

Create a Friends of Rosemount Society. This endeavor would help raise money, awareness, and gather potential volunteers. Rose Hill has a Friends Society whose

pamphlets are available at the Maury County Archives. Consider partnering with

the Friends of Rose Hill Cemetery Society to cross-promote properties.

Maximize the visibility of Rosemount on tourist sites. For example, link social media to the Maury County African-American Heritage Tour Guide that lists

Rosemount hosted on the Maury County Convention and Visitors Bureau’s

website. See http://www.antebellum.com/downloads/AAHbrochure.pdf (page 8).

Ask the Visitors Bureau to include a description of Rosemount on the “Historic

http://www.antebellum.com/downloads/AAHbrochure.pdf

57

Cemeteries” tab under “Attractions”.44

Currently, there are three cemeteries listed:

Rosewood, Zion Presbyterian, and Rose Hill. According to Jo Ann Williams

McClellan’s Gone But Not Forgotten: African-American Cemeteries and 1908-

1930 Death Records of Maury County, TN (2009), there are over 60 African-

American cemeteries in Maury County.45

Establish partnerships with local groups such as churches, funeral homes, insurance companies and florists. This has the potential to raise funds, in-kind donations,

awareness and potential new members.

Cross-promote with like-minded associations such as genealogical associations, historical societies, history departments at local colleges, and/or state, regional or

national cemetery organizations.

Hold a training session for volunteers wanting to clean gravestones and remove moss.

Educate the public on the historic, cultural, social and artistic merits of Rosemount with walking tours, brochures, and a social media presence (Facebook, Twitter and

Instagram etc..)

44

http://www.antebellum.com/www/docs/140/historic-cemeteries/ 45

McClellan, xi.

58

Heritage Development

Civil War Trails Marker

The Tennessee Civil War Trails Marker program in partnership with the Tennessee

Civil War National Heritage Area produced its first marker in 2008. This program features

a series of interpretive signs identifying major and minor Civil War campaigns, and other

Civil War sites. The marker program encompasses 5 states each with an individual map

designed for driving tours. Out of the 5 states, the TN Civil War Trails marker driving tour

map is the most requested.46

This program is part of a larger heritage tourism program

focused on attracting visitors to Tennessee. In 2012 tourist contributed $16.16 billion

dollars to the TN economy and generated over $1billion in state and local taxes.47

Civil War Trails Marker website Civil War Trails Marker

46

Tennessee 2013-2014 Tourism Roadmap. (Tennessee: Department of Tourist Development, 2013), 6. 47

Ibid, 2.

59

Once erected, the location of a marker is added to the TN Civil War Trails map.

This map is distributed to tourist attractions and welcome centers across the state, placed on

the website, and linked with the TN Department of Tourist Development. There are

approximately 273 Civil War Trail markers across Tennessee only three are located in

Columbia. Civil War Trail markers attract tourist, tourist dollars contribute to local TN

communities. Rose Hill and Rosemount cemeteries are unique historic sites with Civil War

stories that warrant a Civil War Trail marker.

Though the Civil War Trails marker program is beneficial and provides a platform

to attract attention as well as visitors to Rose Hill and Rosemount, it is a complicated

process and incurs a cost. To assist the community of Columbia the Center for Historic

Preservation conducted the initial research, drafted historical narrative, selected

accompanying images, and captions for images. The Maury County Historical Society is

the agency completing the application packet. Further assistance for submitting the

application is available at www.tncivilwar150.com. The required fee is $1,100 and must

accompany the application packet. Jim Lund, President of the Maury County Historical

Society is dedicated to this endeavor and is confident the fee is attainable with the support

of the Maury County community.

http://www.tncivilwar150.com/

60

Draft Text for Civil War Trails Marker

Located here is Rose Hill and Rosemount Cemeteries. Rose Hill, founded in 1853 is

situated on a rolling hillside in downtown Columbia Tennessee. The Decatur Nashville

Railroad, located next to Rose Hill made this a strategic location during and immediately

after the Civil War. Rosemount adjacent to Rose Hill was established in 1873, as part of the

African American community. Separated by a fence, both cemeteries have served the

community of Columbia, Tennessee, for over one hundred years.

In 1865 U.S. Quartermaster Capt. A.R. Eddy began plans for a national cemetery in

Columbia to reinter Union soldiers who died in numerous Middle Tennessee campaigns,

including over three hundred fifty soldiers buried in the southeast corner of Rose Hill near

the line of Union breastworks. Capt. Eddy cited the central location of Columbia and the

close proximity of the Nashville Decatur railroad for easy transportation of the dead. By

late 1867, due to an effort to centralize national cemeteries in Middle Tennessee, the Union

dead at Rose Hill were reinterred at Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro.

Located within Rosemount Cemetery are at least two graves of United States

Colored Troops (USCT), including Sergeant Asa Johnson of the 15th

USCT Co C and

Sergeant William Frierson (also spelled Friakson) of the 13th

USCT Co A. Sergeant

Frierson was wounded in the battle of Nashville, when the USCT participated in the charge

at Overton Hill alongside white Union troops, suffering heavy causalities. Both have

headstones that indicate their rank and service. During Reconstruction, both men witnessed

the growth of an African American community in Columbia born from emancipation.

Within the Confederate plot where 102 soldiers are buried stands a monument, in

the unique position of funeral parade rest, that honors all Confederate dead in the cemetery.

This monument was erected in May 1882 by the Women’s Confederate Memorial

61

Association. It was part of a larger movement born out of southern women’s benevolent

societies created after the Civil War.

62

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Center for Historic Preservation

Jeane, Gregory. “Rural Southern Gravestones: Sacred Artifacts in the Upland South Folk

Cemetery.” In “Annual Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies,” Roark,

Markers 4 (1987): 55-84

Keister, Douglas. Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery

Symbolism and Iconography. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2004.

Laurel Hill Cemetery (Photo courtesy of Laurel Hill Cemetery).

http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/laurel-hill-and-west- laurel-hill-cemeteries/

Maury County Convention & Visitors Bureau, “Historic Cemeteries,”

http://www.antebellum.com/www/docs/140

McClellan, Jo Ann Williams. Gone but Not Forgotten: African-American Cemeteries

And 1908-1930 Death Records of Maury County, TN Nashville: Author’s

Corner, LLC, 2009.

Meyer, Richard E., ed. Cemeteries & Gravemarkers: Voices of American

Culture. Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1992.

Morgan, Nancy Adgen, Anne-Leslie Owens, and Carroll Van West, “Mt. Olivet National

Register of Historic Places Nomination” Murfreesboro, TN: MTSU Center for Historic

Preservation, 2001.

Oaklands Historic House Museum, “Wartime Widows: Victorian Mourning Customs”

http://www.oaklandsmuseum.org/education-programs/wartime-widows-victorian

-mourning-customs/[accessed May 1, 2014].

Sloane, David Charles. The Last Great Necessity: Cemeteries in American

History. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995.

Strangstad, Lynette. A Graveyard Preservation Primer, Second Edition, Lanham, MD:

Altamira Press, 2013.

Tennessee 2013-2014 Tourism Roadmap. Tennessee: Department of Tourist Development,

2013.

http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/laurel-hill-and-west-http://www.antebellum.com/www/docs/140

64

The Association for Gravestone Studies, “Some Common Symbols/Emblems Found in

19th

-Century Cemeteries,” https://www.gravestonestudies.org/images/symbols-19c.pdf

[accessed April 11, 2014].

The Association for Gravestone Studies, “Symbolism on Gravestones (/knowledge-center-

symbolism), http://www.gravestonestudies.or/knowledge-center/symbolism#

faqnoanchor. [accessed April 11, 2014].

https://www.gravestonestudies.org/images/symbols-19c.pdfhttp://www.gravestonestudies.or/knowledge-center/symbolism

65

Rosemount Cemetery Deed

From Red Book W-2, pg. 102

Rose Mount Cemetery Deed

5 acres executed by W. I.

Anderson, Aug. 25th

1873

Registered Aug. 29th

1873

I, William I. Anderson of the County of Maury and State of Tennessee, have this

date bargained & sold & do hereby transfer& convey unto Thos. Mackey, Richard

Sanderson, B. Frierson, Frank Wigfall, Levi Eules, A. Cheatham, Bradley Dobbins,

Washington Kennedy, & Manuel Donelson, Trustees of Rose Mount Cemetery, for & in

consideration of eight hundred dollars, five hundred dollars in hand paid, the receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged, & a note of three hundred dollars made this day & due on

the first day of Jan’y next, a certain tract or parcel of land situated in district No. 9 in the

aforesaid County and State, being bounded and described as follows;

Beginning at a stake on the east boundary line of Rose Hill Cemetery (Samuel L.

Graham’s corner,) thence with said line South 3d West 52 poles 8 links to a stake S E

corner of said Cemetery, on Tucker’s line thence with said line S 89° E. 15.27 poles to a

stake, thence North 3° East 52 poles & 8 links to a stake in S.L. Graham’s line & with said

line N 89°W 15 27/00 poles to the beginning, containing five acres.

To have & to hold the same to the said Trustees of said Cemetery in fee simple, and

I do farther covenant with said trustees that I am lawfully seized of said land & have a good

right to convey it & that the same is unincumbered (sic). I do farther covenant & bind

myself, my heirs & representatives to warrant & forever defend the title of said land &

every part thereof to the said trustees & their successors against the lawful claim of any

person whatever. Retaining for myself a lien on the aforesaid five acres of land until all the

purchase money is paid. This 25 day of August 1873.

Test. W.J. Whitthorne. W. I. Anderson.

seal

Thos. M. Guest.

State of Tennessee Maury County

Personally appeared before me, John M. Hickey, Clerk of the County Court of said County,

which said court is a court of record, W.I. Anderson the bargainer with whom I am

personally acquainted, and who acknowledged that he executed the above Instrument for

the purposes therein contained.

Witness, my hand at office in Columbia, the 25 day of August 1873.

Filed Aug. 25th

1873 Jno. M. Hickey Clerk

at 3 o’clock P.M.

66

Illinois Historic Preservation PowerPoint “Cleaning Stone Grave Markers” Power Point courtesy of Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

81

Civil War Soldiers buried in Rose Hill and Rosemount

United States Colored Troops Rosemount Cemetery

91

United States Department of the Interior

National Park Service

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National

Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of

significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions.

1. Name of Property Historic name: ______________________________________________

Other names/site number: ______________________________________

Name of related multiple property listing:

___________________________________________________________

(Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing

_________________________________________________________________________

___

2. Location Street & number: _____________________________________________

City or town: ____________ State: ____________ County: ____________

Not For Publication: Vicinity:

_________________________________________________________________________

___

3. State/Federal Agency Certification

As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended,

I hereby certify that this nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility

meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of

Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36

CFR Part 60.

In my opinion, the property ___ meets ___ does not meet the National Register

Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following

level(s) of significance:

___national ___statewide ___local

Applicable National Register Criteria:

___A ___B ___C ___D

Signature of certifying official/Title: Date

______________________________________________

State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government

92

In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register

criteria.

Signature of commenting official: Date

Title : State or Federal

agency/bureau

or Tribal Government

93

United States Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number 7___ Page 1_____ ________________________________________________________

…………………………………………………….. Name of Property …………………………………………………….. County and State …………………………………………………….. Name of multiple listing (if applicable)

94

National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form

This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in

National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each

item by entering the requested information.

_______ New Submission ________ Amended Submission

A. Name of Multiple Property Listing

B. Associated Historic Contexts

(Name each associated historic context, identifying theme, geographical area, and

chronological period for each.)

C. Form Prepared by:

name/title

organization

street & number

city or town state zip code

e-mail

telephone date

D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this

documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of

related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional

requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and

Historic Preservation.

_______________________________ ______________________

_________________________

Signature of certifying official Title Date

_____________________________________

State or Federal Agency or Tribal government

I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for

evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register.

________________________________

__________________________________

Signature of the Keeper Date of Action

95

Table of Contents for Written Narrative Create a Table of Contents and list the page numbers for each of these sections in the space below.

Provide narrative explanations for each of these sections on continuation sheets. In the header of each section, cite the

letter, page number, and name of the multiple property listing. Refer to How to Complete the Multiple Property

Documentation Form for additional guidance.

Page Numbers

E. Statement of Historic Contexts

(If more than one historic context is documented, present them in

sequential order.)

F. Associated Property Types

(Provide description, significance, and registration requirements.)

G. Geographical Data

H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods

(Discuss the methods used in developing the multiple property listing.)

I. Major Bibliographical References

(List major written works and primary location of additional

documentation: State Historic Preservation Office, other State agency,

Federal agency, local government, university, or other, specifying

repository.)

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.).

96

Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 250 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.