MTSU working to help with preservation efforts of Franklin’s Toussaint L’Ouverture Cemetery

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — Off Del Rio Park in Franklin lies the final resting place for many Williamson County African Americans.

In the late 1800s, the Toussaint L’Ouverture Cemetery was created. It was named after Toussaint L’Ouverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, and now the cemetery has become the city’s oldest African American cemetery.

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“After the war, newly emancipated African Americans were creating their own communities, and resources like cemeteries were a real focal point of a community,” said Laura Holder.

Holder is a federal liaison for Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Historic Preservation. She began learning about this cemetery in graduate school, completing her thesis on the city’s historic African American Natchez Street neighborhood.

“This is just such a unique part of Franklin’s history,” she said. “It ties into, really, the city’s creation and development long before the Civil War, through that time, after the war, and really up until the present.”

Over decades, descendants and groups in the community have worked to keep this cemetery preserved, and now more preservation efforts are coming.

“Our main goals are to evaluate the cemetery’s condition right now, and just look for ways to make it even more accessible to the public and the community,” said Holder.

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In September 2023, the City of Franklin was awarded a preservation grant for the cemetery.

On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the city plans to vote on a contract to allow MTSU to come in and evaluate the cemetery and create a long term preservation plan.

“We want to make sure that the cemetery is interpreted, that folks can come to it and learn the stories about this cemetery and the folks that are buried there and the descendants that are still committed to it, and just really help the entire community and the City of Franklin recognize the importance of the cemetery,” Holder said.

As those who were once enslaved, veterans, and every day citizens continue to lay rest, community members are working to make sure their stories stay alive and well as Franklin continues to grow.

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“This historic African American cemetery is a key resource in understanding where Franklin was and where it’s going,” said Holder.

Holder said once the contract is approved, they will begin their preservation work at the cemetery.

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