A Successful Outcome at the Marcus Winchester Cemetery in Memphis

This past quarter, the Tennessee Historical Commission was able to aid ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the discovery and relocation of a portion of the Marcus Winchester Cemetery in Memphis, located underneath a former city garage. St. Jude initially purchased the lot from Shelby County to expand visitor parking but was not informed at the time of its historical importance. Tennessee Historical Commission Cemetery Committee member, Jimmy Rout worked with THC staff to ensure that St. Jude was informed about this cemetery section, which likely contained the grave of Memphis’s first Mayor, Marcus Winchester. 

After bringing the issue to the Shelby County Land Use Board, St. Jude eagerly vowed to follow all state laws pertaining to the Family Burial Grounds Protection Act and hired an archeology company to watch as the surface layer of the ground in question was peeled away.  Fairly quickly, human remains were discovered and a total of more than 40 graves were found.  St. Jude is currently working closely with the Elmwood Cemetery to relocate the affected remains to an appropriate location on the historically significant cemetery’s grounds. St. Jude should be applauded for taking the advice of the Tennessee Historical Commission and stands an example for other developments across the state.

Additionally, the Tennessee Historical Commission was pleased to host a cemetery preservation workshop this past November at the Willow Mount Cemetery in Shelbyville. Nationally recognized cemetery preservation icon, Jon Appell, demonstrated how to clean, level, and repair tombstones with hands-on participation from a large group of attendees. During this two-day cemetery preservation workshop, the group repaired 8 markers and cleaned more than 50 markers.

The Tennessee Historical Commissions Cemetery Committee is currently preparing for the upcoming recommendation report for the legislature, the due date of which is at the end of 2025. One issue that the committee would like to draw interest to includes providing detailed visitation rules, as many surrounding states have already addressed. Such rules would greatly help family members and landowners understand what is expected during cemetery visits. THC would like to thank the following committee members for their dedicated service: Jimmy Rout, Dr. Beverly Bond, Linda Moss Mines, Phil Hodge, Fletch Coke, and Loni Harris. The Tennessee Historical Commission would like to thank Nick Fielder, former State Archeologist, for his service on the Cemetery Committee since its inception. Mr. Fielder, who recently resigned, has been instrumental in helping the group familiarize itself with opportunities for improving Tennessee’s current cemetery laws.

Cemeteries Recently added to the Historic Cemetery Register

• Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Shelby County. Listed October 10, 2024.
• Rosson Cemetery, Gibson County. Listed November 4, 2024.
• Martin Family Cemetery, Weakley County. Listed November 25, 2024.
• Beaverdam Ancient Cemetery, Benton County. Listed December 2, 2024.
• Moore Chapel Cemetery, Benton County. Listed January 2, 2025.