There is a cemetery on High Street in Petersburg, Tennessee, more than 170 years old, which bears the cruelty of time yet stands as a testament to the bravery and fortitude of pioneers who settled Lincoln and Marshall Counties.
Currently, there is a community project underway to restore this hallowed place and, toward this purpose, we respectfully ask your support.
HISTORY
The town of Petersburg, located in a bucolic cove in southern middle Tennessee, was first settled by men like Jospeh Greer, the King’s Mountain Messenger. Greer, a giant red-headed Scots-Irish Virginian, traveled by foot and horseback 600 miles of hostile Indian and British-controlled territory to deliver news of victory to Philadelphia and a previously-demoralized Continental Congress. The Battle of King’s Mountain became a turning point in the war.
Other Virginians like Green Rives followed Greer by wagon train, establishing large farms and plantations. Rives, a descendant of Sir John Rives of Damory Court, Dorsetshire, England, was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia and was a schoolmate of General Winfield Scott. In 1810 and 1811, he served as a Captain in the Dinwiddie County Militia where he owned more than 500 acres.
By the time of the cemetery’s dedication, in March of 1851, Rives’ son William Green Rives, had founded Masonic Lodge 123, which marked a period of great civic activity in the community. Thomas King Warren, kinsman to several associated with the Lodge, donated to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Masonic Lodge a lot which became the site of the cemetery. It bordered Barnett Metcalfe’s property and that of Henry S. Blakemore. In the deed, Warren sited his “love and affection…for the Church of God and the regard I have for the Masonic fraternity.”
Several of those buried at High Street were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Episcopalian Church. Ten were Masons and at least sixteen of the children buried there were sons, daughters, or grandchildren of Masons.
Tragically, more than half of the 44 legible headstones at High Street bear dates during and soon after the Civil War. It is reasonable to assume the conflict’s hardship and its cruel aftermath contributed to 28 of these deaths.
In regards to the war, there are two documented C.S.A. veterans buried at High Street, one was an officer in the 8th Tennessee Infantry, and another (a son of Green Rives) was a surgeon who served the military, then died while caring for his community during the cholera epidemic of 1866.
During this period, a dozen small children perished, sons and daughters of Petersburg soldiers, some dying while their fathers fought battles far from home.
In addition to the Civil War veterans interred at the cemetry, there is one War of 1812 veteran, while most all have ties to the Revolution. For instance, several are related to John Metcalfe, Captain of the 3rd Regiment of the Virginia Artillery, who raised a company of troops and was an acquaintance of George Washington. John’s son William was promoted from private to ensign during the war and fought at Yorktown, while another son, Thomas, was Governor of Kentucky from 1828-1832.
A sample of other surnames found in the cemetery are Beard, Blake, Bledsoe, Chapman, Ellis, Mitchell, Rives, and Troop to name a few. So many long-time Marshall and Lincoln County residents can trace their ancestral lineages through these pioneers.
Perhaps beyond the historical importance of the cemetery are the family ties mentioned, for awareness of kinship can tend to bind a community closer.
Toward this worthy cause, please join us as we restore this sacred place which honors our ancestors.
THE PROJECT
Thankfully in recent years, Petersburg city government, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Lions Club, and civic-minded individuals have joined forces to rennovate buildings and introduce new businesses to the square.
As part of this effort to repair the beauty and to preserve the history of the town, this group recognizes the intimately relative importance of restoring the cemetry. Toward this purpose, The Petersburg Lions Club Charities, a nonprofit entity has been established to receive contributions to the project.
The project budget is divided into three parts — $1,500 for a required survey before restoration can begin, $6,000 for the restoration of headstones, and $8,500 for a fence to protect and to enhance the beauty of the property . The total budget is $16,000, for which we respectfully request your gift. At this writing, $4,000 has been raised.
Contributions may be made by check to The Petersburg Lions Club Charities, P.O. Box 144, Petersburg, TN 37144.
Please accept our sincere thanks for considering this proposal.
