WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Hatcher family is celebrating their successful fight to protect a historically Black cemetery by planting a 625-tree fruit orchard for their Williamson County community.
Williamson County commissioners denied a proposed subdivision that threatened the Allison Chapel Burial Grounds, a historically Black cemetery and former school site. The development would have included a septic tank system that could have disturbed the final resting place of family members buried at the site.
Now, Marquinta Harvey is planting her dreams of a fruit orchard on family land near the cemetery, with pears, peaches and cherry trees for the community to enjoy.
"We want to sustain our legacy, but what my grandfather and grandmother taught us is where to be good neighbors and where to be that legacy of love," Harvey said.
Her uncle, Jasper Hatcher, remembers stories of his father walking to Allison Chapel school and graduating with an eighth-grade education. The school operated on the same grounds as the cemetery.
"It has significance and very much for our family because we're still here," Hatcher said.
After months of research and community advocacy, the family successfully preserved the sacred ground.
"It was an erasure of history and very disrespectful to the site," Harvey said. "What's up there is all we have and we'd love to preserve it."
The community rallied around the Hatcher family's efforts to protect the site. Harvey said the support extended beyond her family.
"It wasn't just us but the community said this is something that's important and vital," Harvey said. "We not only want to protect it but I also want to restore it so other people can know about this site."
Hatcher believes his father would be proud of the victory.
"Dad would be leaping for joy. He would be overjoyed and I am too," Hatcher said. "If these voices could speak now. What a victory to preserve their dignity and that we're still fighting for them."
The developers did not respond to requests for comment. They would need to address the reasons commissioners denied their application before moving forward with any future proposals.
Know of other historic sites or community preservation efforts in Middle Tennessee? I'd love to hear from you. Contact me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
