Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Benevolent Cemetery

Photographed by Sandra Marsteller, November 17, 2021

1. Benevolent Cemetery Marker

Inscription. In 1897, Lodge #11 of the Colored Benevolent Society established this cemetery to serve Murfreesboro's African Americans in the era of Jim Crow segregation. Members included Berry Seward, the city's first black electrician, and Drs. George C. Harden and John McClellan, both graduates of Meharry Medical College. The cemetery's approximate 800 burials include workers, professionals, trades people, and veterans from the Indian Wars, Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II. In 1988 Mrs. Mary Finch sold the cemetery to Allen Chapel AME Church trustees to ensure its preservation.

Erected 2021 by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3A 250.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Tennessee Historical Commission series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.

Location. 35° 49.879′ N, 86° 23.856′ W.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. It is on Park Avenue 0.2 miles north of Middle Tennessee Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1160 Park Ave, Murfreesboro TN 37129, 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 walking distance of this marker: Murfree Spring (approx. ¾ mile away); Into the Modern Era (approx. ¾ mile away); A More Healthy Community (approx. ¾ mile away); A Progressive City (approx. ¾ mile away); Building a Victorian City (approx. ¾ mile away); The Occupied Town in War and Reconstruction (approx. ¾ mile away); a different marker also named The Occupied Town in War and Reconstruction

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 15, 2022

2. Benevolent Cemetery Marker

(approx. ¾ mile away); Antebellum Prosperity and Institutional Growth (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.

Also see . . .
1. Benevolent Cemetery Re-dedication. Photographs from the Memorial Day 2018 re-dedication ceremony and history of the cemetery, from the Rutherford County Historical Society. (Submitted on November 17, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Benevolent Cemetery. Find a Grave listing of burials in the cemetery. (Submitted on November 17, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Sandra Marsteller, November 17, 2021

3. Benevolent Cemetery Marker

Looking north on Park Avenue.

Benevolent Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Marsteller, November 17, 2021

4. Benevolent Cemetery

Henry Williams Headstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 15, 2022

5. Henry Williams Headstone

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 15, 2022

6. Benevolent Cemetery Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 17, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,844 times since then and 91 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 17, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on January 27, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 3, 4. submitted on November 17, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 5, 6. submitted on January 27, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia.