Fairground Cemetery

Fairground Cemetery. . The Red River County Agricultural and Mechanical Association organized a county fair in 1856 with the fairgrounds west of the Clarksville city limits. After the fair was held at this site for many years, a portion of the property was sold for use as a cemetery for African Americans. An 1890 deed, recorded in 1895, conveyed two acres for the sum of fifty dollars, with David Rainey deeding the site to cemetery trustees Jurdan (Jordan) Perry, Paul Reeves and Frank Latimer. All three original trustees are believed to be buried here, though their graves are unknown. Fairground Cemetery, named for the earlier land use, is one of the oldest burial grounds in Clarksville. , The earliest marked burial is for Jeff Toton, who died in May 1889. In subsequent years the original two-acre cemetery was enlarged through acquisition of adjoining land. More than 700 burials have been inventoried, representing many generations of citizens. Surnames include Bell, Childers, Childress, Coleman, Dickerson, Dillard, Heard, Hurd, Latimer, Lee, McCulloch, Perry, Ricks and Scales. Historic gravestone materials include concrete, fieldstone, granite, wood and metal funeral company markers. Some gravestones include ceramic photographs. Wrought iron and woven wire fences, and cut stone and concrete curbing, surround some individual and family plots. Many descendants of those buried here live in the area today. Still in use, Fairground Cemetery is a cherished record of the heritage and memories of the community.