(MURFREESBORO) The African-American Heritage Society of Rutherford County is unveiling and dedication of a memorial to those enslaved on Oaklands Plantation and other individuals buried in unmarked graves that are located in section M of Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro. The event will take place next week at 10:00 o'clock Saturday morning (6/24/2023) in Section M at Evergreen Cemetery.

The new monument that's being unveiled next week is located near a unique metal structure that is rusting and well-worn by time. The only readable words on the old piece are CARRIE. 

African-American Heritage Society of Rutherford County President Mary Watkins told WGNS . . .

(PHOTO: Watkins looks at the deteriorating marker, Oaklands' Photo)  

Mary Watkins, who is also a professor at Motlow State Community College, is looking for information about this unique monument in Evergreen. If you have heard anything about this sculpture, please share it with Mrs. Watkins. 

Evergreen Cemetery was established in 1872 when Dr. James Maney sold 20 acres of his former plantation to the City of Murfreesboro for the establishment of a new public cemetery. It is accepted oral tradition that this land was previously the burial ground for those enslaved by the Maney family. Near the center of the area is a tin obelisk that is believed to be an early memorial for an enslaved person or persons, however the text is no longer legible. The Department of Geosciences at Middle Tennessee State University recently scanned portions of section M and found approximately 18 unmarked graves near the center of section M. 

Through a partnership between the African American Heritage Society of Rutherford County Tennessee and Oaklands Mansion, a memorial has been erected. Please join us at 10:00AM to honor the lives of these individuals who have been largely overlooked by history.

Parking inside Evergreen Cemetery is very limited. Please help us ensure the protection of the cemetery infrastructure and grave markers by parking in Middle Tennessee State University’s (MTSU) Bell Street or Highland Avenue surface parking lots. It is a short walk to section M and MTSU will provide a shuttle for those who have limited mobility.

Chairs, and a tent if inclement weather is forecasted, will be provided by Evergreen Cemetery. This event will take place rain or shine. Service animals only please. This dedication is free and open to the public. You can also find Oaklands Mansion on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about this project and to read the Untold Story of the Maney Family Slaves, visit www.oaklandsmansion.org and click on “Slavery” at the top of the page.

The Rutherford County Archeological Society is partnering with the African-American Heritage Society of Rutherford County and Oaklands Mansion to complete a study of potential graves in Section M and create a monument in Evergreen Cemetery to honor slaves from the planatation era who are buried in unmarked graves there. 

On October 24, 2021 Middle Tennessee State University did a ground penetrating radar (GPR) study of land that is now known at Section M at Evergreen Cemetery. The electronic device was slowly rolled over the earth and it detected where the earth had been disturbed over the past two-centuries. 

Flags were placed in the ground along with the recording of a precise longitude and latitude marking. 

The Oaklands Mansion website explains that from 1814 until 1872, this land was part of an extensive holding owned by the Maney family. With looming financial hardship following the Civil War, Dr. James Maney sold this land to the City of Murfreesboro in 1872 to become a new cemetery.

In section M of the cemetery, are the unmarked remains of enslaved individuals who lived and labored at Oaklands until 1872.

Previously, very little research had been devoted to the African-Americans enslaved by the Maney family. However, Oaklands’ launch of a new 2021 initiative seeks to bring these individuals’ stories to the forefront via “The Untold Stories” project. “The Untold Stories project attempts to give a voice to 87 African Americans who have been overlooked by history,” said James Manning, executive director.

Manning commented, “The initiative names each individual believed to have been enslaved on the Maneys’ plantation and their descendants. This new research broadly increases our knowledge of the African American community in Murfreesboro both during the Civil War and beyond.”

For more information on this project, contact James Manning at Oaklands Mansion, Mary Watkins with the African-American Heritage Society of Rutherford County, or Laura Bartel at the Rutherford County Archaeological Society.