Lebanon in Wilson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Cedar Grove Cemetery

Photographed by Tom Gillard, March 13, 2010

1. Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker

Inscription. In 1846, the City of Lebanon purchased land for this public cemetery. Surveyed by Professor (later Lt. General, CSA) Alexander P. Stewart of Cumberland University, the first burial took place in 1849. Among the dignitaries resting here are William B. Campbell, Governor of Tennessee and Mexican War hero; Robert L. Caruthers, Governor of Tennessee and "Founder of Cumberland University;" General Robert H. Hatton, CSA; and Dixon L. Merritt, journalist and author of the limerick, "The Pelican." Buried here are a few Union veterans and more than 140 Confederate veterans, including James L. Barry (1847 -1947), Tennessee's last surviving Confederate soldier.

Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3A 201.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1846.

Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 36° 11.52′ N, 86° 17.69′ W. Marker was in Lebanon, Tennessee, in Wilson County. It was on Cumberland Street (U.S. 231), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Lebanon TN 37090, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

It was also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it was in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Confederate Dead (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Cedar Grove Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); General Robert Hatton (approx. 0.3 miles away); Horace Harmon Lurton (approx. 0.7 miles away); Wilson County's First Gym (approx. 0.8 miles away); David Robert "Bobby" Ray (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Reverend Dr. Winstead Paine Bone (approx. 0.9 miles away); Evins Front Porch (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lebanon.

Regarding Cedar Grove Cemetery. Dixon Lanier Merritt (1879 – 1972) was a poet and humorist. He was a newspaper editor for the Tennessean, Nashville's morning paper, and President of the American Press Humorists Association. He penned this well-known limerick in 1910:[1]
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican!
or
A funny old bird is a pelican.
His beak can hold more than his bellican.
Food for a week
He can hold in his beak,
But I don't know how the hellican.

Also see . . .
1. Dixon Merritt. (Submitted on March 13, 2010, by Tom Gillard of Tullahoma, Tennessee.)
2. Gov. William B. Campbell. (Submitted on March 13, 2010, by Tom Gillard of Tullahoma, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, October 8, 2022

2. Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker

3. Gov. Robert L. Caruthers. (Submitted on March 13, 2010, by Tom Gillard of Tullahoma, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Tom Gillard, March 13, 2010

3. Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker

Cedar Grove Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Gillard, March 13, 2010

4. Cedar Grove Cemetery

Cedar Grove Cemetery (Civil War Trail Marker) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Chad Comer, April 10, 2015

5. Cedar Grove Cemetery (Civil War Trail Marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2010, by Tom Gillard of Tullahoma, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 2,482 times since then and 36 times this year. Last updated on January 28, 2023, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. Photos: 1. submitted on March 13, 2010, by Tom Gillard of Tullahoma, Tennessee. 2. submitted on October 8, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 3, 4. submitted on March 13, 2010, by Tom Gillard of Tullahoma, Tennessee. 5. submitted on April 10, 2015, by Chad Comer of Gamaliel, Kentucky. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.