Kingston in Roane County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Historic Bethel Cemetery
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 29, 2024
1. Historic Bethel Cemetery marker
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Erected 2006 by Southwest Point Chapter DAR.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places.
Location. 35° 52.176′ N, 84° 31.022′ W. Marker is in Kingston, Tennessee, in Roane County. It is at the intersection of Lori Ann Lane and S 3rd St, on the left when traveling west on Lori Ann Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kingston TN 37763, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee and in Greater Knoxville. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, 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
this page online
More about this marker. Excerpt from the "Statement of Significance" portion of the nomination form:
"The historic Bethel Cemetery is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under criterion A for its local significance in social history. Beginning with the first burial in 1811 and continuing through the mid-twentieth century, the cemetery has been the resting place of most of Kingston's prominent individuals and families. These include Thomas Norris Clark, Thomas Brown, and Captain John Doss. Furthermore the cemetery has the distinction of containing at least one veteran of every American war
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, December 29, 2024
2. Historic Bethel Cemetery marker
Regarding Historic Bethel Cemetery. John Riley, a Cherokee man, donated the land for a school and cemetery so that his children could attend the school. The school was named Rittenhouse Academy and was held in a log structure in the cemetery. Bethel Presbyterian Church, officially organized in 1806, held its first meeting on June 6, 1818 in the Rittenhouse Academy, thus the site came to be known as the Presbyterian Hill Cemetery. In 1820, the Bethel Presbyterian congregation built a brick church building for its services. The previous log building was torn down and Bethel Presbyterian Church and Rittenhouse Academy both used the new brick building until 1832 when Rittenhouse Academy moved to a new building. The building continued to be used by the church until 1858 when the building was torn down and replaced with a wood frame building. Church members worshipped there until the 1880s, when the structure was systematically dismantled, moved in numbered pieces down the hill, and reconstructed at its current location at the corner of Kentucky and Church Streets by Karl Frederick Rothe, a master carpenter and graduate from the University of Leipzig. From that point, the cemetery was devoid of buildings and became known as Bethel, or Kingston, Cemetery.
Also see . . . Historic Bethel Cemetery Kingston, TN. Daughters of the American Revolution website entry:
(Submitted on January 19, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 485 times since then and 102 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 30, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
