Johnson Cemetery

Aug 27

Written By Sarajane Smith

Site Brief:

Founded: 1878

Location: Chattanooga, TN

Additional name(s): Turkey Foot Hollow, Shot Hollow

Affiliate group(s):

Friends of Booker T. Washington State Park
Chattanooga-Hamilton County NAACP Branch

History:

Russell and Terri Gilbert and their family have been dedicated advocates for preserving and researching Johnson Cemetery, also known as Turkey Foot Hollow or Shot Hollow. Oral histories, family records, historical accounts, and documented burials indicate that Turkey Foot Hollow existed long before the Civil War. Turkey Foot Hollow was a Black Indigenous unincorporated town, founded before Hamilton County, Chattanooga, or Tennessee existed. The families were displaced due to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) flooding the area, and the construction of a TNT plant. The town was home to Indigenous Cherokee and Black families living along current-day Highway 58 in Chattanooga. The community developed schools, churches, businesses, and civic institutions that served generations of residents.

Most residents of Chattanooga and Hamilton County are unaware that a thriving Indigenous Black community existed there before the city's establishment. The only surviving physical landmark connecting families to that era is Turkey Foot Hollow, where World War I and World War II veterans, including women, were laid to rest. Civil War Veteran Gideon Owens was also interred at Johnson Cemetery. Turkey Foot Hollow is the lasting legacy of a historic town where Indigenous Cherokee, Black, and Brown people worshipped, lived, built institutions, and preserved their culture. The Gilberts' goal is not just to preserve the cemetery, but to also preserve the history of Turkey Foot Hollow whilst simultaneously honoring the memory of the people who built it. Descendant families were unaware of the transfer of the cemetery to the state, and issues surrounding long-term stewardship of the cemetery are currently being negotiated. Families that have ancestors buried in Johnson Cemetery are in communications with the state of Tennessee concerning preservation and upkeep of the gravesite and the history it holds.