FIRST - Time Black Men Owned Property - Stones River National Battlefield, TN - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

County of marker: Rutherford County
Location of marker: Park Rd. & Path, Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro
Marker erected by: national Park Service

Marker text"
Exploring the Promise of Freedom

After the Civil War, four million formerly enslaved people took charge of their own lives. They began to exercise their rights and start their own communities. They built homes, schools, churches. and businesses. For the first time, black men and women could own property.

Here, the community of Cemetery took shape. Soldiers from the 111th US Colored Infantry who had built Stones River National Cemetery bought land. They started their new lives near the place where they worked.

By 1880, most of Cemetery's residents were African Americans. Half of its farmers were black males. Despite the hostility of white neighbors and the creation of the national battlefield, Cemetery, endured for over 60 years.

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