Enslaved Persons Memorial Project: Memorial Rock Painting

Join us on Saturday, June 6 between 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM at the William Edmonson Homesite Park and Gardens, located at 1400 14th Avenue S. All materials provided.
In 2026, the Nashville City Cemetery Association (NCCA) launched the Nashville City Cemetery Enslaved Memorial Project to honor the memory of approximately three thousand enslaved men, women, and children who were buried in the Nashville City Cemetery between its founding on January 1, 1822, and the arrival of emancipation in Tennessee in 1865.

The memorial site will feature an engraved granite bench, interpretive engraved stone markers, and a memorial garden. At the heart of the project is the creation of about 1,500 small field stones, each uniquely decorated with the name of an enslaved person buried in the cemetery. Because interment records from 1822 to 1846 are missing, only those buried between 1846 and 1865 can be identified by name. NCCA hopes to honor each of these individuals with a dedicated fieldstone, ensuring their legacy endures.

The Nashville City Cemetery Association thanks the Friends of William Edmonson Homesite Park and Gardens and the Neighbors of Edgehill for hosting this event and for helping us as we create individual memorials for the enslaved persons resting in Nashville City Cemetery.

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Host or Publisher Nashville City Cemetery Association Inc