NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Preserving the past for future generations is a passion for one Murfreesboro man committed to restoring parts of Rutherford County's historic Cemetery community — specifically, a school that served Black children before desegregation.
Vincent Windrow, who grew up in the Cemetery community, is leading the effort to reopen and restore the school his mother once attended.
“This is the Murfreesboro Cemetery School,” Windrow said.
The current building, constructed in 1941, replaced the original school built in 1874. The first building was destroyed.
“The first one was burnt down by folks who didn’t want it here,” he said.
Over the years, Windrow's family used the school to store personal belongings, which became mixed with historical artifacts, including old textbooks, a vintage stove, and original desks with students’ initials carved into them.
“They were students trying to learn and come to grips with the world and who they were in the world and who they could be later on in the world. Learned all those things here at Cemetery School,” Windrow said.
Windrow envisions transforming the building into a museum on one side and a community gathering space on the other. He also plans to clear nearby rotting homes on the land to create an area for events and school field trips.
He plans to have it all done by 2027.
“It’s really about rebuilding the past for the future, so the story of Cemetery School doesn’t die,” Windrow said.
Windrow believes grants and contributions will help bring the project to life and preserve the school’s legacy.
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-Carrie Sharp
