Brentwood in Williamson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Hardscuffle Community

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 14, 2020

1. Hardscuffle Community Marker

Inscription. When slaves were freed in 1865, many of them left local plantations and settled just east of the village of Brentwood. Because of its rocky terrain, the area became known as Hardscuffle. There African-Americans organized churches. schools, and commercial establishments. The Mt. Lebanon Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1883 by Rev. Larry Thompson, is still active in the community. Another black church, Brooks Memorial Methodist, has moved to another site. After integration, the area's black schools were abandoned. The area is now known as Church Street East.

Erected 1993 by Brentwood Historic Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 36° 2.016′ N, 86° 46.852′ W. Marker is in Brentwood, Tennessee, in Williamson County. It is on Church Street East east of Summit View Place, in the median. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9020 Church St E, Brentwood TN 37027, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Owen-Moore Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); Davidson County / Williamson County (approx. 0.4 miles away); Nobles Corner

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(approx. 0.4 miles away); Forrest's Brentwood Raid (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mooreland (approx. half a mile away); Hood's Retreat (approx. 0.6 miles away); Brentwood United Methodist Church (approx. 0.8 miles away); Gordontown Mound Complex (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brentwood.

Also see . . .
1. Hardscuffle Community (YouTube). City of Brentwood documentary on the community. (Submitted on June 15, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Hardscuffle Community Ended as Today’s Brentwood Began. Overview of the community's history, by Williamson Source. Posted Feb. 3, 2019. (Submitted on June 15, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 14, 2020

2. Hardscuffle Community Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,472 times since then and 61 times this year. Last updated on December 21, 2020, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 15, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.