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Through our research and partnership efforts, the Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society seeks to develop educational briefings, papers, guided and self-guided tour opportunities and lectures on the history of the cemetery, and those citizens and U.S. Military Veterans who lay at rest at Mt Olive.
As members of the Society, we embrace the journey of discovery that lays before us.
Motivated by the opportunities that this journey will build friendships and partnerships across our community, we invite you to join us and help celebrate the diversity and rich history of Clarksville, Tennessee.
Below, you will see the education and engagement opportunities involving the Society (in reverse chronological order), dating back to August of 2017.
As members of the Society, we embrace the journey of discovery that lays before us.
Motivated by the opportunities that this journey will build friendships and partnerships across our community, we invite you to join us and help celebrate the diversity and rich history of Clarksville, Tennessee.
Below, you will see the education and engagement opportunities involving the Society (in reverse chronological order), dating back to August of 2017.
Unveiling Ceremony of U.S. Colored Troops Monument at Fort Defiance, 18 June 2022
The Mt. Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society has been on a year-long journey to obtain the support to construct a monument in Clarksville to honor, celebrate, and remember the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), who were men of African descent, many of them formerly enslaved, who enlisted in the Union Army to fight for their freedom. This journey is now nearly complete, as the formal unveiling ceremony of the USCT monument will occur at the Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center on Saturday, June 18, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. Please join us and the Clarksville community as we celebrate this special occasion (see community invitation below). You may RSVP at this link: fb.me/e/3t9kBGYCW or to Dr. Tyler Nolting at noltingt@apsu.edu.
USCT Monument Groundbreaking at Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center (2022 May - June)
Above images: On the left is day one (May 10, 2022) of grounds preparation for the USCT monument at Fort Defiance. Nick Nicholson, President, and Mike Taliento, Director of Preservation and Restoration, observe, as workers begin preparing the space. On the right is continued grounds preparation for the USCT monument (May 12, 2022).
Below images: Grounds preparation progress for the USCT monument (May 17, 2022).
Below images: Grounds preparation progress for the USCT monument (May 17, 2022).
Clarksville Online News Story - From Enslaved to Soldier: The History of Fort Defiance
By Tracy Jepson, 13 May 2022
Tracy Jepson, a historical interpreter living in Clarksville, Tennessee, published an article on May 13, 2022, to Clarksville Online, a digital newspaper for Clarksville and Montgomery County. The article explores the history of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) in Clarksville, as well as their connection to Fort Defiance, which is now known as the Fort Defiance Civil War Park and Interpretive Center. Mrs. Jepson connects her story to the USCT monument unveiling ceremony taking place on June 18, 2022 at Fort Defiance, where the community will have the opportunity to honor and celebrate the USCT. Please visit the following link for the story: www.clarksvilleonline.com/2022/05/13/from-enslaved-to-soldier-the-history-of-fort-defiance/
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Awarded Helper Grant from the Nashville Predators Foundation (May 9, 2022)
From left to right: Gerry Helper, Tyler Nolting, Dr. Chad Brooks, Linda St. Romain (front), Nick Nicholson, Phyllis Smith, and Gnash.
The grant money will be used to purchase five wayside exhibits and six memorial benches, to honor, remember, and celebrate African American history, with a special emphasis on educating youth. Two of the wayside exhibits will be placed around the U.S. Colored Troops monument at Fort Defiance. The other three wayside exhibits will be placed in Mt Olive Cemetery, with each exhibit in the cemetery surrounded by two memorial benches.
The Society Presents Mt Olive's History for Nashville's Afro-American Genealogy & History Society (7 May 2022)
On May 7, 2022, members of the Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society remotely presented Mt Olive's history to Nashville's Afro-American Genealogy & History Society (AAGHS). The following link is a summary of the presentation by the President of AAGHS, Taneya Koonce: aahgsnashville.org/2022/05/07/meeting-summary-saving-historic-cemeteries/
Mt Olive Cemetery's Only Known Living Descendant Visits for a Tour (May 1, 2022)
When in Clarksville for the funeral of a family member, Sylvia Stanford, a current resident of Washington D.C., was doing genealogical research at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library. Knowing she had family members interred at Mt Olive Cemetery, the library put her in touch with Phyllis Smith. This led to a tour of the cemetery on May 1, 2022, with Phyllis and several other Society members present. Through her previous research and tour, Sylvia demonstrated numerous familial connections to several individuals at Mt Olive Cemetery.
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Spring Spruce Up (May 1, 2022)
On May 1, 2022, members and volunteers of the Society met to plant flowers at the entry way of the cemetery. Above, you can see everyone hard at work.
Members of the Wounded Warrior Project Beautify Mt Olive Cemetery as Part of the Great American Cleanup (24 April 2022)
As part of the Great American Cleanup, members of the Wounded Warrior Project work to beautify and preserve Mt Olive Cemetery on April 24, 2022. A variety of duties were performed, such as planting flowers and mulching, cleaning headstones, spreading gravel on trails, and clearing debris.
Spring 2022 Cemetery Tours with APSU
Top two images: Phyllis Smith (Mt Olive historian), provides a tour on April 21, 2022, to Dr. Monique Freemon's undergraduate public speaking class. Dr. Freemon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Austin Peay State University.
Bottom two images: On April 22, 2022, Phyllis provided another tour to Dr. Jessica Fripp, Associate Dean of the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science & Counseling at Austin Peay State University.
Bottom two images: On April 22, 2022, Phyllis provided another tour to Dr. Jessica Fripp, Associate Dean of the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Science & Counseling at Austin Peay State University.
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Dedicates a USCT Display Case at APSU's Newton Military Family Resource Center (2022 March)
In March of 2022, the Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society designed and dedicated a display case to the USCT at the Newton Military Family Resource Center (MFRC) at Austin Peay State University. Above, you can see the items that are inside of the display. The Society thanks Jasmin Linares, Director of the MFRC, and Major General Walt Lord, Military Advisor in Residence of the MFRC, for this opportunity to shine a light on the USCT at the MFRC.
17-24 DECEMBER 2021
18 DECEMBER 2021
11 November 2021
Veterans Day Ceremony
Veterans Day Ceremony
9 November 2021
Educational Engagement with APSU
7 November 2021
APSU Educational Tour & Headstone Restoration Project
2021 Annual Fall Cleanup
31 OCTOBER 2021
31 OCTOBER 2021
31 OCT 2011 - Annual Fall Clean-up
APSU GIS Center
Develops Digital Interactive Map
of MT Olive Cemetery
Interactive Veterans Story Map:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5ab6aa2fa4c64600a634f88cf6b9c426
Read the latest story on the Society's Partnership with the APSU GIS Center in the Clarksville Now News Center.
https://clarksvillenow.com/local/gis-center-students-create-brochure-story-map-to-preserve-african-american-soldiers-stories/
https://clarksvillenow.com/local/gis-center-students-create-brochure-story-map-to-preserve-african-american-soldiers-stories/
APSU GIS Center
Helps Develop Veteran Locator Map and Visitor Tri-fold Brochure
A collaboration between APSU GIS Center and the Society has produced a Visitor Tri-fold Brochure that will assist visitors in locating US Veterans interred at Mt Olive Cemetery.
Brochures will be available at the Cemetery and at the FT Defiance Interpretive Center.
Links to the online Interactive Story Map can be found above.
| MT Olive Cemetery Veterans Locator Map - PDF |
22 May 2021
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Women Veterans of America (WVA) Chapter 47
Honor US Veterans with Bronze Grave Markers and Flags |
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27 APRIL 2021
25 April 2021
CMCSS Army JROTC Cadets Partner with the Sunrise Rotary Club
to Conduct Spring Clean-up at Mt Olive
to Conduct Spring Clean-up at Mt Olive
26 FEBRUARY 2021
Wounded Warrior Project Veterans
Support Mt Olive Cemetery Restoration Efforts
Support Mt Olive Cemetery Restoration Efforts
18 FEBRUARY 2021
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society conducts Educational Engagement with Clarksville's Sunrise Rotary Club at the Wade Bourne Nature Center
- February 2021 - Black History Month Celebration -
The Society will be offering free educational tours throughout the month of February. Tours will be conducted every Friday from 1- 4 pm.
The tours will last 15 to 30 minutes depending on the specific interests of the visitors. Visitors can park behind the Clarksville Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 931 Cumberland Drive, Clarksville.
The Society will be offering free educational tours throughout the month of February. Tours will be conducted every Friday from 1- 4 pm.
The tours will last 15 to 30 minutes depending on the specific interests of the visitors. Visitors can park behind the Clarksville Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church located at 931 Cumberland Drive, Clarksville.
DECEMBER 2020
Nashville's News Channel 5 and Reporter Eric Hilt visits Mt Olive
News 5's Eric Holt Interviews the Society's Historian Ms. Phyllis Smith regarding the history of the Cemetery and the recent listing on the National Historic Register. The report aired on News 4 on 9 Dec 2020
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November 2020 - NEWS RELEASE
Clarksville’s Mt Olive Cemetery Added to National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.
According to Nick Nicholson, President of the Mt Olive Cemetery Historic Preservation Society, he and board members worked in partnership with the State’s Historical Commission over the past 2 years researching and refining the application for the National Parks Service. In October, the Society briefed Clarksville’s Regional Historic Zoning Commission which unanimously approved the nomination, clearing the application’s pathway to the State and onto Washington for final consideration and approval.
On 16 November 2020, the cemetery was designated a National Historic Place.
The Mt. Olive Cemetery is a 7.24-acre African American cemetery established around 1817 on the south side of Clarksville. Mt. Olive is Clarksville’s largest, private African American cemetery which accepted interments from 1817 to 1958. An estimated 1350 graves are located within the cemetery, although a ground penetrating radar study would suggest that is a conservative estimate.
Among the many individuals interred in Mt. Olive Cemetery, there are currently identified 215 civilians and thirty military veterans, of which 30 are known United States Colored Troops (USCT), one World War II veteran, and one Buffalo Soldier. These numbers include two new US Colored Troops recently discovered by the Society.
The Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society is a 501(c)3 Public Benefit Non-Profit Organization whose mission is to emphasize the influence and contributions of African-Americans regarding the history, education, development, growth and culture of the Clarksville, Tennessee area.
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National Register Listing
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/historic-commission/thc_national-reg_draftsseptember2020/TN_Montgomery%20County_Mt%20Olive%20Cemetery%20Watermarked.pdf
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Historical Register News Coverage:
CLARKSVILLE NOW
https://clarksvillenow.com/local/mt-olive-cemetery-added-to-national-register-of-historic-places/
Z97.5 Radio
https://z975.com/local/mt-olive-cemetery-added-to-national-register-of-historic-places/
MAIN STREET Clarksville – Montgomery County’s Local News Paper
https://www.mainstreetclarksville.com/news/mount-olive-cemetery-placed-on-the-national-register-of-historic-places/article_da9dffce-300f-11eb-9f05-632532ce6c58.html
The Leaf Chronicle
https://www.theleafchronicle.com/story/news/local/clarksville/2020/11/24/mt-olive-cemetery-black-owned-clarksville-national-register-historic-places/6367038002/
MTSU Center for Historic Preservation
https://www.facebook.com/MTSUCHP/
News Channel 8 - Knoxville, Tennessee
https://www.wvlt.tv/2020/11/21/six-new-tenn-sites-added-to-national-register-of-historic-places
NOVEMBER 2020
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society
Honors America's Veterans on Veterans Day
11 Nov 2020
Society members, Rotarians from the Sunrise Rotary Club of Clarksville and local High School Students gathered on the morning of 11 November 2020 to honor the US Veterans buried at Mt Olive Cemetery. Society members read the President Proclamation, conducted the Veteran Roll Call and played Taps in recognition of the US Colored Troops, Buffalo Soldier and World War II Soldier buried at Mt Olive. Volunteers assisted in placing US Flags at each of the Veterans' graves.
Honors America's Veterans on Veterans Day
11 Nov 2020
Society members, Rotarians from the Sunrise Rotary Club of Clarksville and local High School Students gathered on the morning of 11 November 2020 to honor the US Veterans buried at Mt Olive Cemetery. Society members read the President Proclamation, conducted the Veteran Roll Call and played Taps in recognition of the US Colored Troops, Buffalo Soldier and World War II Soldier buried at Mt Olive. Volunteers assisted in placing US Flags at each of the Veterans' graves.
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JROTC Cadets from Clarksville and Kenwood High School render salutes during the flag raising ceremony prior to the Community Service Project
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OCTOBER 2020
JULY 2020
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Society Members, Volunteers and Staff From MTSU unload equipment for the Headstone Restoration Seminar at Mt Olive Cemetery - Oct 2020.
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25 MAY 2020
Memorial Day Flag Raising and Remembrance Ceremony
Memorial Day Flag Raising and Remembrance Ceremony
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27 May 2019
Memorial Day Celebration
Memorial Day Celebration
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19 May 2019
Annual May Clean-up And BBQ
Annual May Clean-up And BBQ
CMCSS Students, JROTC Cadets, Teachers, friends and Society Members conducted
a major Clean-up effort on 19 May 2019.
A BBQ was held at Liberty Park for all of the Volunteers.
It was another great opportunity for our community to share and learn about MT Olive!
a major Clean-up effort on 19 May 2019.
A BBQ was held at Liberty Park for all of the Volunteers.
It was another great opportunity for our community to share and learn about MT Olive!
Students from Clarksville High School (JROTC Cadets) and Richview Middle School gather at the MT Olive Retreat Area following their community service work at the Cemetery.
16 March 2019
Montgomery County Historical Society - Presentation
9 FEBRUARY 2019
Celebrating Black History Month at Ft Defiance
Society Members, Friends, Community Leaders and fellow citizens gathered at Ft Defiance to Celebrate Black History Month. A wreath Laying Ceremony at Ft Defiance's flag pole was proceeded by a 30 minute presentation on the US Colored Troops of America's Civil War and a reflection on veterans interred at MT Olive.
12 November 2018
Society Members Gather at the Cemetery Retreat Area
for the 2018 Veterans Day Flag Raising Ceremony
Society Members Gather at the Cemetery Retreat Area
for the 2018 Veterans Day Flag Raising Ceremony
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18 AUGUST 2018
Mt Olive's GOSPEL CELEBRATION Unites the Community
and Honors Mt Olive's African-Americans
Mt Olive's GOSPEL CELEBRATION Unites the Community
and Honors Mt Olive's African-Americans
28 May 2018
Society Members and Special Guests conducted the
Annual Memorial Day Flag Raising and Honors Ceremony.
Members and guests toured Mt Olive
and placed American Flags at the graves of all the Veterans.
Society Members and Special Guests conducted the
Annual Memorial Day Flag Raising and Honors Ceremony.
Members and guests toured Mt Olive
and placed American Flags at the graves of all the Veterans.
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20 May 2018
The Society Celebrates Eagle Scout Project with Flag Raising Ceremony
The Society Celebrates Eagle Scout Project with Flag Raising Ceremony
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The Society held a Commemorative Flag Raising Ceremony in recognition of the Cemetery's new Flag Pole and Retreat Area. Boy Scout Matthew Riley from Clarksville's Troop 525 designed and managed the installation as part of his Eagle Scout Project.
The Society is extremely proud of Matthew's leadership and patriotism and congratulate him on his hard work and dedication! |
15 March 2018
Sunrise Rotary Club of Clarksville Hosts
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society
The Society's President Nick Nicholson and Director of Education and Engagement Mike Taliento
presented "In Our Own Back Yard" to Rotary International's Sunrise Rotary Club of Clarksville.
The Sunrise Club is a partnered civic organization with the Society and continues support our mission and can been seen volunteering at our quarterly cemetery clean-up events. The Society is grateful for Rotary's support to our restoration and maintenance mission and for the fund-raiser support provided during our annual fund raising event!
Sunrise Rotary Club of Clarksville Hosts
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society
The Society's President Nick Nicholson and Director of Education and Engagement Mike Taliento
presented "In Our Own Back Yard" to Rotary International's Sunrise Rotary Club of Clarksville.
The Sunrise Club is a partnered civic organization with the Society and continues support our mission and can been seen volunteering at our quarterly cemetery clean-up events. The Society is grateful for Rotary's support to our restoration and maintenance mission and for the fund-raiser support provided during our annual fund raising event!
21 FEB 2018
Educational Engagement with Nashville State
Honors Mt Olive's US Colored Troops
Educational Engagement with Nashville State
Honors Mt Olive's US Colored Troops
Historian Phyllis Smith engages students from Nashville State Community College on the History of Mt Olive Cemetery, highlighting some of its permanent residents who served in US Colored Troop Regiments during the Civil War.
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17 FEB 2018
Black History Month Celebration and Reflection
Presentation at Ft Defiance and Wreath Laying Ceremony
Black History Month Celebration and Reflection
Presentation at Ft Defiance and Wreath Laying Ceremony
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27-28 October 2017
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Presents Briefing on US Colored Troops at
APSU Symposium on African-Americans and the Civil War.
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Presents Briefing on US Colored Troops at
APSU Symposium on African-Americans and the Civil War.
10 September 2017
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Conducts Welcome Home Veterans Celebration
Mt Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society Conducts Welcome Home Veterans Celebration
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August 2017
Society Members Install the New Sign
Society Members Install the New Sign
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Mt Olive Cemetery is the final resting place of many
U.S. Civil War United States Colored Troops.
Here's what we've discovered so far!
U.S. Civil War United States Colored Troops.
Here's what we've discovered so far!
