Statements

Mission

The mission of the Mt. Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society is to emphasize the influence and contributions of African Americans regarding the history, education, development, growth and culture of the Clarksville, Tennessee area.

Background

At Mt. Olive Cemetery rests 1,350 of Clarksville's African-American citizens, many of whom worked hard to shape the town into what has become Tennessee's fifth-largest city.

How and when the cemetery started is unclear. The first recorded burial was James Hunt, a presumed slave, buried on September 8, 1817. The last burial in Mt Olive was Oscar Jasper Holmes, known as Jasper to his family and friends. He was in a car accident on February 9, 1958 and died two weeks later of a pulmonary embolism. The 1940 census listed him working as a packer in a tobacco factory, He was survived by his wife, Olivia, and two children. His grave was marked by a temporary marker until 2020 when the Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society (MOCHPS) was able to purchase a headstone for his grave.

The first attempt to preserve Mt Olive Cemetery was recorded in an article in the Clarksville Weekly Chronicle, dated July 3, 1880, which documented a dedication ceremony for Olive Hill Cemetery, with speeches by local clergy. On July 12, 1889, the same paper featured an article about now-renamed Mt Olive Cemetery, extolling it as a picturesque and beautiful place, but noting that "it did not possess the attractive features of an ordinarily kept cemetery." The paper went on to say that it was a small, overcrowded area, and that a board of trustees was appointed with a goal of expanding the cemetery and enclosing it with a fence. The trustees included ten of the most respected and successful African-American businessmen in Clarksville. Throughout the following decades, the local paper referred to Mt Olive as "the city's black cemetery."

The cemetery was originally part of 120 acres that exchanged hands ten times between 1880 and the early 21st century. None of these owners were African American. Robert Davis inherited the land when his parents died, and recognizing the historic significance of the 7.24-acre cemetery, he offered to gift it to the City of Clarksville in 2004. The City of Clarksville accepted it with the proviso that they would then quitclaim the cemetery to the MOCHPS. The cemetery has been in the Society's care since 2004.

Although there are an estimated 1,350 graves in the cemetery, over ninety percent of these graves do not have headstones. Ongoing research has now identified 271 civilians and 32 veterans. Of the veterans, 30 are U. S. Colored Troops (USCT), one is a Buffalo Soldier, and one is a World War II veteran.

Impact

-Top 3-5 Accomplishments from 2021
*Accomplishment: Obtaining funding from the Clarksville Public Art Commission to build and donate a United States Colored Troops Monument to the Fort Defiance Civil War Park & Interpretive Center
*Accomplishment: Veteran locator map development through a collaboration with the APSU GIS Center
*Accomplishment: Raising more than $9,600 during our holiday gift-wrapping event at the Clarksville Governor's Square Mall
*Accomplishment: Spreading gravel throughout the cemetery pathways and trails
*Accomplishment: Repairing/replacing the cemetery foot bridge

-Top 3-5 Goals for 2022
*Goal: Install wayside exhibits and park benches throughout the cemetery
*Goal: Install wayside exhibits around the United States Colored Troops monument at Fort Defiance Civil War Park & Interpretive Center
*Goal: Purchase a storage shed for cemetery maintenance equipment
*Goal: Install road signs throughout the cemetery
*Goal: Hardscaping around the United States Colored Troops monument at Fort Defiance Civil War Park & Interpretive Center

Needs

*Wayside exhibits and park benches throughout the cemetery. ($7,000-$8,000).
*Wayside exhibits around the United States Colored Troops monument at Fort Defiance Civil War Park & Interpretive Center ($4,000-$5,000).
*Storage shed for cemetery maintenance equipment ($2,000 - $4,000).
*Road signs throughout the cemetery ($500).
*Cemetery maintenance equipment ($1,500).

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Historical Societies & Historic Preservation
Secondary Category:	Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy  - Civil Rights, Social Action, & Advocacy N.E.C.
Tertiary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Citizen Participation

Areas Served

TN - Montgomery