CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Golden Hill Cemetery in Clarksville is filled with people and a history many might not know.
"This cemetery is the oldest continuously owned tract of land by an African American in Clarksville, Montgomery County," said Shana Thornton.
It also lies on a trail that wasn't officially created until Thornton came along.
"We worked on it for a long time before it became an established thing," she said. "It was unveiled if you will in 2019."
The idea for the Clarksville Montgomery County African American Legacy Trail began when Thornton realized there wasn't a document holding the history and stories of the county's African Americans.
"I thought why can't we create a brochure," she said. "Just a brochure...simple you know."
So she asked for help from Rossview High School, and historian Jerome Parchman who immediately got to work.
"I would...come in before I went to work and do research at the archives," he said. "So we constantly did research for about two years before it finally came out."
The trail was soon born, filled with multiple African American landmarks and people who helped shape this area.
"They can see these leaders and places...the impact that they had in Clarksville and it still needs to be told," said Parchman.
A second edition is in the works where students from Austin Peay University are using their research to help with the trail’s expansion.
"It's just important to know history in general for future generations to kind of see how we have evolved as individuals and people," said student Madeline Thompson. "It's really important for everyone's stories to be told."
Thompson and Ifunanya Ejimofor spent a semester combing through federal census records of African Americans living in Clarksville from the early to mid-1900s.
Both students hope their findings can be utilized if needed as the trail continues to grow.
"Getting to know history is about getting to know the past and how it affects the present and the future," said Ejimofor.
From people like Dr. Robert and Emma Burt, to cemeteries and buildings, the history in this county is something Thornton wants to make sure isn't forgotten.
"Just because people have passed away or left us...they left some mark of their history and their life," she said. "And that's always available to us if we want to tap into it."
Thornton says volume two of the print brochure is currently in the works and will be released later this spring.
She says they are also working on a virtual tour with audio and visual capabilities that will be released this spring as well.