1

May 2014







Preliminary Site Assessment

Rose Hill and Rosemount Cemeteries
Columbia, Maury County, TN





2
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






3
Table of Contents
Background of the Study4
Methodology5
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 Development57
Civil War Trails Marker.. 57

Bibliography61

Appendices..64
Deed for Rosemount64
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












4
Background of the Study
In October 2013, Danny Moser a member of the Board of Trustees for Rose Hill
Cemetery in Columbia, TN contacted MTSUs 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.

5
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 cemeterys
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.














6

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 Countys 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 Countys 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.

7
tourist industry with increased interest in Maury Countys historic sites.
3
The single most
popular event is Columbias 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.
8
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
OBrien 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 OBrien, The Color of Law: Race, Violence and Justice in the Post-World War South.
Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
9
History of Rosemount Cemetery

Established in 1873, Rosemount Cemetery has served Columbia, Tennessees
African American community for almost 150 years. A so-called mirror cemetery,
because it is bounded on the west and south by the citys white cemetery, Rose Hill,
Rosemount sits on a hill that gently slopes to the east. It is the final resting place for many
of Columbias prominent black citizens, including Dr. J.C. Halfacre, a prominent physician
who died in 1896. Dr. Halfacre served as an alderman from Columbias Third Ward. He is
possibly the earliest African American to serve in Columbias city government.
11
For this
reason, and many others, Rosemount serves as a focal point for Maury Countys 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 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 Fathers Kingdom
There Are Many Mansions, ( Maury County Archives, N/P, 1986), n/p.
13
Columbia Herald, 3/21/1873, in Ibid., n/p.
10
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 cemeterys 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 (11
th
) 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 graves location is unknown today, his funeral was reportedly conducted by
Columbias white citizens and arranged by the Daughters of the Confederacy.
16

Rosemount is the final resting place for many of Columbias 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.
11
valiantly during the Civil War. Rosemount, Columbias first urban African American
cemetery, is also the largest of Maury Countys African American cemeteries.
17
For this
reason, it serves as a focal point, an illustration of struggle, strength and survival, for
Maury Countys African American history.
Beyond its local significance, however, we can frame Rosemounts 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 Jacksons 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.: Authors 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 Rosemounts 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 Preservations 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.










13
History of Rose Hill Cemetery

Columbia, Tennessees 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 cemeterys rolling hillside landscape provides a feast of beauty for the
eyes, and an abundance of symbolism straight from the hearts of Columbias 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 cemeterys 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 Cemeterys rolling hillside landscape
Columbia founded its first cemetery out of necessity in 1809. Greenwood
Cemetery was the towns 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
Cimetire 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.
Pre-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.
Pre-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 Auburns 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 Cemeterys 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].
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].

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 Countys 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
19
th
century. The urn and
the willow tree were two of
the first motifs to replace the
deaths 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].

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 Fathers
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
Valentines 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 martyrs
triumph over death
and, by extension, any
believers triumph over
death.
36





Deaths Head

The deaths 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-19
th
century, a winged
cherub, like the one seen
here at Rose Hill
Cemetery, replaced the
deaths 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 childs 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-19
th
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 childs
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 19
th
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 Cemetery
37




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 Stangstads 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 Arkansass Historic Cemeteries, Oregons 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 Agencys 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 MTSUs 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
45
doubt contact an expert in cemetery preservation. This reinforces tenets one and two. For
the most part, experts agree on the basic dos and donts of graveyard maintenance.
Basic Dos and Donts of Graveyard Maintenance
43

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.
Dont 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.
Dont 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.
46





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
cemetery preservation
for assessment and
repair work. Improper
repairs can irreparably
damage the stones.
Long-term fix.
Leaning headstones
and footstones.


Contact an expert in
cemetery preservation
for assessment and
repair work. Improper
repairs can irreparably
damage the stones and
disturb the cultural and
historic landscape.
Long-term fix.
51
Grave stone fell
over and another
piece is broken/

Contact an expert in
cemetery preservation
for assessment and
repair work. Improper
repairs can irreparably
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
headstones 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
headstones 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 cemeterys 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 Bureaus
website. See http://www.antebellum.com/downloads/AAHbrochure.pdf (page 8).
Ask the Visitors Bureau to include a description of Rosemount on the Historic
57
Cemeteries tab under Attractions.
44
Currently, there are three cemeteries listed:
Rosewood, Zion Presbyterian, and Rose Hill. According to Jo Ann Williams
McClellans 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.













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 15
th
USCT Co C and
Sergeant William Frierson (also spelled Friakson) of the 13
th
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 Womens Confederate Memorial
61
Association. It was part of a larger movement born out of southern womens benevolent
societies created after the Civil War.










































62
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-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.




64
The Association for Gravestone Studies, Some Common Symbols/Emblems Found in
19
th
-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].


































65
Rosemount Cemetery Deed

From Red Book W-2, pg. 102
Rose Mount Cemetery Deed
5 acres executed by W. I.
Anderson, Aug. 25
th
1873
Registered Aug. 29
th
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 Jany 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.
Grahams corner,) thence with said line South 3d West 52 poles 8 links to a stake S E
corner of said Cemetery, on Tuckers 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. Grahams line & with said
line N 89W 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. 25
th
1873 Jno. M. Hickey Clerk
at 3 oclock P.M.







66
Illinois Historic Preservation PowerPoint
Cleaning Stone Grave Markers Power Point courtesy of Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.









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Civil War Soldiers buried in Rose Hill and Rosemount



United States Colored Troops Rosemount Cemetery









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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 Interiors 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.