Local historians are racing to unearth more knowledge about a neglected cemetery near Ooltewah, as Hamilton County officials plan to build a road extension that may affect the area.
Nestled in a heavily wooded area off Interstate 75, Summit Cemetery has been called a local legend by people living in the neighborhoods surrounding it. Marked by a rundown white gate and dotted by a handful of legible headstones, historians say it’s possible the area is home to over 200 unmarked graves — which may be the remnants of a Black community founded just after the Civil War.
The graveyard is on the border of Enterprise South Nature Park, which has been a subject of community concern and debate since County Mayor Weston Wamp announced plans in October to open 500 acres of the park up for industrial development despite an agreement with the federal government for it to be parkland in perpetuity.
Plans approved in August by the Hamilton County Commission for an extension of Hilltop Drive show the road winding through that southern end of the park and possibly cutting through unmarked graves in Summit Cemetery, according to residents familiar with the area. The road is meant to relieve traffic congestion in the area, according to the plans.