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Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery

Franklin, Italy

Toussaint L'Overture County Cemetery

The Toussaint L'Ouverture County Cemetery is an historical African-American cemetery located in Franklin, Tennessee. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is named for Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution. The earliest recorded burials date from

1869, but it wasn't officially incorporated until 1884. It is "the oldest African American institution in continuous use" in Williamson County. The cemetery corporation which originally purchased the land and established the cemetery failed during the Great Depression in the United States. After the failure of the cemetery corporation, no entity was named successor and all the members of the original board of trustees have died. Consequently, ownership of the cemetery is unclear and no entity is legally responsible for its maintenance. Care of the cemetery has been support by the Toussaint L'Ouverture Cemetery Club hosted by the First Missionary Baptist Church in Franklin, TN. The club is a volunteer organization funded by donations and headed by Mattie B. Reeves. Starting in 2013, when the cemetery was added to the Historic Franklin Parks Cell Phone Tour, community support for the cemetery...

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