Mars Hill Cemetery, a historic oasis in West Knoxville, gets some love

John Shearer
·3 min read

A visitor to the old Mars Hill Cemetery off Broome Road in the West Hills area might think an unusual gender reveal gathering has taken place with all the small pink and light blue flags stuck in the ground.

That person would be right, at least in a vintage sense. Retired Knoxville Police Department forensic examiner Art Bohanan has been helping cemetery supporters identify whether males or females are buried in certain areas using his special equipment.

That is not the only activity taking place there, though. In fact, although this cemetery that was originally a family cemetery and was later connected to a Baptist Church has not had a burial for years, it has had as much activity as a newer cemetery with plenty of available plots.

Amy Emert, who is writing two books about Mars Hill Cemetery, stands inside the cemetery grounds near a new marker on Feb. 7, 2023. She and some other cemetery volunteers and supporters are trying to make improvement to help better preserve the memory of those buried there.
Amy Emert, who is writing two books about Mars Hill Cemetery, stands inside the cemetery grounds near a new marker on Feb. 7, 2023. She and some other cemetery volunteers and supporters are trying to make improvement to help better preserve the memory of those buried there.

Besides the flag work and some ongoing ground-penetrating radar work to help find unmarked burial sites, some new markers have also been placed by cemetery supporters where known graves are.

Of the latter, some of the graves of veterans have had vertical markers placed with the help of the Veterans Administration, while others have had flat grave markers funded by cemetery supporters. The Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution have also placed markers there in recent years.

It is all part of the work to preserve this cemetery that was connected to a nearby event important to Knoxville and American history – the Cavett’s Station Massacre in 1793. During the frontier days when the Knoxville area was inhabited by only a few pioneer settlers, local resident Alexander Cavett and 12 others were killed by Creek and Cherokee Indians.

Cavett is buried there, as is his Revolutionary War veteran brother, Moses Cavett. And during subsequent decades, many other community members, some of whom fought in other wars, were buried there.

Pink and light blue flags line Mars Hill Cemetery to indicate where male and female graves are believed to be. The flags are part of some recent work done by forensic researcher Art Bohanan.
Pink and light blue flags line Mars Hill Cemetery to indicate where male and female graves are believed to be. The flags are part of some recent work done by forensic researcher Art Bohanan.

As a result, some residents feel the cemetery is worth not only preserving but also should be made to look better, including with more grave markers wherever possible.

“It is so important for families just to know their history and their heritage,” said longtime cemetery preservation advocate Cindy Johnson. “It’s been heartwarming to see all that has been done.”

The preservationists have also been doing some additional work not visible within the cemetery grounds.

Amy Emert, a professional genealogy researcher who is related to some of those buried there, has been gathering history of the deceased there for two upcoming books, including one about the veterans. She has done diligent research and, along with Amy Zimmerman, has interviewed some descendants.

A walnut tree lines the edge of Mars Hill Cemetery on Feb. 7, 2023, next to a field where some additional graves are also located.
A walnut tree lines the edge of Mars Hill Cemetery on Feb. 7, 2023, next to a field where some additional graves are also located.

And the volunteers are organizing a Friends of Cavett Station nonprofit group to continue taking care of the cemetery. That includes eventually putting a nice fence around the burial sites to better protect the whole grounds that are about 20 yards long and 10-15 yards wide.

The cemetery is basically cut off from public access; one must get there through private property. A handsome rolling meadow several hundred yards wide and deep surrounds the cemetery dotted by walnut and old cedar trees.

The surrounding land is owned by some neighborhood residents who bought it when a development proposal was being seriously discussed, and cemetery officials would love to see the cemetery and surrounding field become part of a park. It would allow better cemetery access and be a pastoral buffer in an area of Knoxville now mostly developed, they believe.

With the field, the land currently looks more like it should be in a rural Tennessee county instead of booming West Knoxville.

Johnson and Emert are trying to do their part to preserve at least the cemetery and the fading or forgotten memories of people buried there.

“It represents families,” said Emert of the cemetery, adding that cemetery markers particularly of the children who died young might be the only reminders of them still in existence. “It represents community, and especially with the Cavetts, it is the history of Knoxville.”

Added Johnson, “It has been a lot of fun learning about this. It’s important for families to know their heritage.”

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Historic Mars Hill Cemetery in West Knoxville gets some love