SITE DIRECTORY
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Johnson Cemetery
Johnson Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1878
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Turkey Foot Hollow, Shot Hollow
AFFILIATION(S):
Friends of Booker T. Washington State Park
Chattanooga-Hamilton County NAACP Branch
HISTORY: Russell and Terri Gilbert and their family have been 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 the site existed before the Civil War. Turkey Foot Hollow was a Black Indigenous unincorporated town, founded before Hamilton County, Chattanooga, or Tennessee. The families were displaced due to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) flooding the area, and 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 preserving the cemetery, but also the history of Turkey Foot Hollow whilst honoring the memory of those 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 with ancestors buried in Johnson Cemetery are communicating with the state concerning preservation and upkeep of the gravesite and its history.
BCN Contact Information:
Russell Gilbert Sr.