Portland in Sumner County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Parker's Chapel
"Taylor's Old Field"
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, August 21, 2021
1. Parker's Chapel/"Taylor's Old Field" Marker
Located .5 of a mile north of here is the Parker's Chapel Community. The community began shortly after the Civil War when descendants of ex-slaves Sam and Lucinda Groves-Coakley migrated to "Taylor's Old Field." They were followed by Lucy Perdue and family from Virginia, and later by the Dye, Hobdy, and Gibbs families. Growing tobacco and strawberries provided the settlers a livelihood. Built circa 1870, the first church at Old Field also served as the community's first school.
The community and church received its name from the Rev. James Parker, the first pastor. In 1906, Parker's Chapel Church hosted the East Fork Missionary Baptist Association. Parker's Chapel School was built in 1923 with assistance from the Rosenwald Fund. The school closed in 1960. Until 1965, when the Portland schools desegregated, African-American children were bused to Gallatin. In the mid-1940s, the Flower and Garden and Community Improvement clubs of Parker's Chapel were organized.
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3B 55.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Churches & Religion • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Origins of Portland Masonic Lodge #326 (approx. one mile away); Old Fountain Head Meeting House (approx. one mile away); In Honor and Remembrance (approx. 1.6 miles away); "Freedom: Bought with their lives" (approx. 1.7 miles away); a different marker also named In Honor and Remembrance (approx. 1.7 miles away); In Memory of Our Brave Men and Women (approx. 1.7 miles away); Historic Cold Springs (approx. 1.7 miles away); Cold Spring School (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portland.
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, August 21, 2021
2. Parker's Chapel/"Taylor's Old Field" Marker
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, August 21, 2021
3. Parker's Chapel/"Taylor's Old Field" Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 12, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 293 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 12, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
