The grave of Gen. Thomas Overton is to the left. On the right…somebody’s soul. I didn’t catch their name.

And what self respecting cemetery would be complete without a creepy gate?

Less than an acre. It’s hard to believe that at one time there was nothing but woods and fields as far as the eye could see.

Nashville, like many cities, has a checkered relationship with its past. History often makes way for the new, and what remains is often hidden beneath layers of modern development. There are plenty of hidden slices of the past around the city, often in the most unusual locations. Every week, I’ll try to share some of the sites that this project has brought me in contact with.

First up, we have the Soldiers’ Rest Cemetery. This tiny plot is all that remains of the plantation of Gen. Thomas Overton (1753-1824), a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Overton served for  seven years with Washington’s army, originally in the 9th Virginia Regiment, and later with the 4th Continental Light Dragoons, seeing action at places like Germantown, Monmouth, and Yorktown, as well as wintering at Valley Forge. He moved to Tennessee around 1804, and founded a farm not far from that of Andrew Jackson. The two struck up a lifelong friendship. In fact, Overton later stood as Jackson’s second in his duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806.

The cemetery today stands in a small lot surrounded by houses and businesses near the intersection of Donelson Avenue and Old Hickory Boulevard. I visited it the day after Halloween, and was greeted by a coal black cat who followed me around the entire time, just…watching me. After thanking him, I doused myself and my car with holy water and took my leave.

This little plot once stood close to Overton’s mansion, appropriately named “Soldier’s Rest,” which was the centerpiece of his sprawling plantation. What brought me here? Well, in the fall of 1819 Overton’s place became the scene of a remarkable drama when his overseer was murdered by one of the slaves who worked on the farm. During the ensuing investigation, the slain overseer’s wife was accused of conspiring with the slave to kill her husband.

So what happened next?

Well, that’s why I want you to pick up a copy of the book when it comes out 🙂

For more information about Overton, here’s his page on the great oracle Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Overton