Local history organizations awarded $35K for Black cemetery storytelling project
The history of one of Chattanooga’s African American cemeteries is set to come to life as two local organizations make use of a $35,000 state grant.
“The Living Archive” is a collaboration between historical society Picnooga and the African American Cemetery Preservation Fund that aims to tell the stories of 12 African Americans buried at Chattanooga’s Pleasant Garden Cemetery, according to a press release from project manager Destiny Washington.
Volunteers connected with descendants and local historians to research these individuals’ histories, and oral historian and playwright Peggy Douglas then used that research to write monologues for each person, the release said.
“Having TN 250 grant support for the Pleasant Garden Cemetery project brings an important chapter of Chattanooga’s African American history to a wider audience, preserving the voices and legacy of those who helped build our community, and in turn, our state and nation,” a quote attributed to Douglas said in the release. “This project not only preserves the shared stories of people and places that shaped Tennessee’s history, but also provides solace to descendants in knowing that the community their ancestors built is still cared for and honored today.”
The preservation fund formed in 2018 to restore and preserve the African American cemeteries Pleasant Garden and Beck Knob, the release said. Pleasant Garden is around the Ridgeside area, while Beck Knob is in North Chattanooga.