CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The history of Black life in Clarksville remains largely ignored. But a new nonprofit aims to document that lost history, as well as preserve it.
The Tennessee African American Historical Group is working with local schools and research groups at Austin Peay State University, Dunbar Cave State Park, and the Mt. Olive Preservation Society. The goal of the group is to create more historical markers and monuments that uncover the rich contribution of Black people in Clarksville.
Some of this history includes the 101st Colored Troops, which stationed their headquarters in Clarksville; Affricanna Town, which was an area near Dunbar Cave where freed slaves found community and refuge; and the Negro Agricultural Fair, which was held close to where the Dunn Center at APSU is today.
For several years, historian Jackie Collins has spearheaded most of the effort to create local historical markers, including at Burt School, at Bailey Cobb Elementary School, for baseball player Steve Wylie, and at St. John Missionary Baptist Church.
“You got to know where you come from before you know where you’re going,” Collins said.
Collins is vice president of the new group. President Frederick Murphy told Clarksville Now that Montgomery County is just the start, and this will be a statewide effort.
“Clarksville is growing at such an expedient rate,” Murphy said. “In order for people to feel represented, you have to have this piece of inclusiveness that’s there.”
Murphy discovered through historical documents that his ancestors were sharecroppers, and that helped motivate his effort to start the group. “It’s rooted in educating and encouraging other individuals to also seek the same information from their families, so we can keep these narratives true and alive.”
Tracy Jepson, co-creator of the group, has been a historian for eight years in Tennessee, with a focus on social and cultural history.
“As a nation, and also Tennessee – the Southern region – I think we have some work to do. There’s a lot of resistance and denial about some of the darker parts of our history.
“We want to make sure that the African American history is represented, and this requires raising funds for markers and monuments. It requires the detailed research – going through the archives to make sure we get that history correct,” Jepson said.
Collins said that the cost of these historical markers has increased since last year, now costing about $1,500.
“I am so grateful to those that have donated for the markers,” Collins said. “Without them, we would have a challenge because we don’t have that kind of money.”
They have created a GoFundMe to raise the money, and they have reached over half of their goal as of March 23.
“It’s imperative that we are more inclusive,” Murphy said. “I think this will highlight the city’s commitment to its residents that we want to share a broader story of what our history looks like.”
For more on the Tennessee African American Historical Group, go to their website or email tnaaresearch@gmail.com.