NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Historical Commission’s (THC) new Statewide Cemetery Map
and Tennessee Historic Cemetery Register (TCHR) are now available in ArcGIS format for
public use on THC’s website. The map has been populated by data from the Commission’s
cemetery database, which currently contains more than 32,500 cemeteries statewide.
The public map contains various overlays which will enable the viewer to compare a cemetery’s
location topographically, geographically, and even historically as Tennessee county borders have
often shifted over the decades. THC hopes this map will be a valuable tool for historians,
genealogists, developers, landowners, realtors, and state agencies for the purpose of preserving
and protecting burial sites.
The Tennessee Historic Cemetery Register is intended to provide the public with a way to
extensively document historic cemeteries for the purpose of preservation efforts. “Not only is the
register intended to honor a particular cemetery, but it also provides a way to attract and increase
public interest, maintenance, and community involvement,” notes Graham Perry, who
coordinates the Historic Cemetery Program for the Commission. Applications to submit a
cemetery for the Register are available on the THC website. Submissions that meet an
established criteria will be automatically added to the Historic Register. Neither the THCR nor
map include prehistoric Native American cemeteries.
For more information about the Tennessee Historical Commission, please visit the website at:
http://www.tnhistoricalcommission.org. For more specific information about a particular
cemetery shown on the map or about the Tennessee Historic Cemetery Register, contact Graham
Perry at (615) 532-0087 or graham.perry@tn.gov