The
Gower Cemetery Restoration Project
By
Marsha Fagnani, Chair
The Gower Cemetery on Gower Road is located in the still mostly rural community in West Nashville off River Road near Overall Creek. This historic pioneer family cemetery sits on a portion of land originally settled by Reverend William Gower (1776-1851) and his wife Charlotte Garland (1782-1860). William Gower was converted to the Methodist faith in 1803 by Lorenzo Dow, a famous Methodist itinerant who visited the Gower home on this land. William Gower established the first Gower’s Chapel about 1805. It was the forerunner of the present Centenary United Methodist Church. William’s mother, Obedience Blakely Gower (c1740-1816), was the first burial in April 1816.
This cemetery, 203 years later, is on less than a half-acre of land located within a privately-owned parcel adjoining the Centenary United Methodist Church property. In March 2017 Metro
Nashville Planning Commission/Mapping designated a new and separate parcel number for the
Gower Cemetery which will help to protect it.
Throughout the years, various descendants, neighbors and organizations have made efforts to maintain this cemetery; however, when we began our project in early 2017 it was in a terrible state of overgrowth of over six-feet high with reports of many tombstones in pieces on the ground.
Several descendants, in the Nashville area and from the West to East Coasts, thought -- what can we do to get the cemetery cleaned-up, restored, maintained and preserved? It was with the help of Fletch Coke -- friend, mentor and historian -- in late 2016 when this possibility was first explored. We revisited this in February 2017 with the assistance of Tim Walker, Executive Director, Metro Nashville Historical Commission, and our efforts to save the Gower Cemetery were officially underway. Metro Nashville Public Works did the initial clearing, which was a huge task, and continued to maintain the grounds while our work was in progress.
We started a social media Facebook group in March 2017, Friends of Gower Cemetery, for this project. The heartfelt interest in supporting this endeavor grew tremendously; from a few descendants to over 290 family members, related families, neighbors and many others who care about the importance of historic preservation. In May 2017 we began fundraising efforts through the Metro Nashville Historical Commission’s Foundation, 501(c)(3), to cover the costs of all work. These donations are dedicated to the Gower Cemetery Restoration Project which includes regular future maintenance. To date, we have raised over $27,000.00, paying for all expenses made possible by the generosity of many donors.
Most of the burials are the descendants of Abel Gower, Sr. (c1720-1780), a Captain in the North Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War, and of his son Abel Gower, Jr. (c1740-1780) and wife Obedience Blakely Gower.
This family was among the first settlers to arrive to the Bluffs in 1779-1780. Some arrived by land with General James Robertson’s overland party; however, most family members (including women and children) made the four-month, nearly 1000-mile river journey in flatboats with the Colonel John Donelson’s flotilla, arriving April 24th, 1780. Reverend William Gower was a 3-1/2 year-old child when arriving with his family and extended family.
Abel Gower, Sr. and Jr., along with several others, including John Robertson (c1745-1780), brother of General James Robertson, were killed in the fall of 1780, when they were attacked by combatant Native Americans who resented this encroachment. The attack was made on a party of settlers working under the leadership of the senior Gower. They were transporting harvested corn supplies by boat from the Stone’s River Station at Clover Bottom. This incident, which occurred just months after the settlement began, is known as the Clover Bottom Massacre. It is unclear whether or not the bodies of Abel Sr., Abel Jr. and others were recovered, and if so, where their burial location may have been. Perhaps their graves are forever lost in history.
Our goal was to not only restore and preserve the Gower Cemetery but continue our extensive research on burials, the history of the land, the families who lived there, and the story of Gower’s Chapel and the Centenary United Methodist Church. We will also ultimately update the Davidson County Cemetery Survey.
In March 2018 a plat map of the Gower Cemetery was located. Prepared about 1892 by descendant and local architect, Reverend James Elbert Woodward, Sr. (1867-1955). Reverend Woodward’s research is deemed very reliable and included personal interviews with elder Gower family members then living. The map provides the names associated with 73 graves, including six enslaved African Americans. We also located the original Gower Family Bible, kept safe all of these years by descendant, Marty Baxter Reich. It includes two pages listing Gower and Gatlin family names and births, a separate page with names, including birth dates, of eleven African American persons enslaved by the Gowers and one page which lists the ingredients for a medicinal recipe.
Although there are Tennessee laws expressly pertaining to cemeteries, we all know too well that many historic family cemeteries run the risk of becoming lost over time due to lack of upkeep and abandonment which opens the door to destruction and development. The only way to save and preserve this cemetery is to keep up with the ground’s maintenance with continued attention.
As we were starting this project, we became aware of the tragic story of the Rains family cemetery established by early Nashville pioneers. Despite a very successful restoration of historic tombstones and attractive grounds, that cemetery was legally declared “abandoned” and “terminated” as a cemetery. Developers dismantled the cemetery and removed the graves to another location. What once was a piece of Nashville history is now a vacant lot which was paved over. Our efforts to save the Gower Cemetery and others like it need to include greater awareness and changes to the laws relating to cemeteries in order to prevent property owners and developers from destroying historic sites. We must become more educated, proactive and diligent.
Dan Sumner Allen IV was hired to oversee the restoration of the Gower Cemetery. Mr. Allen is a well-known and highly respected archaeologist in the Nashville area who specializes in historic preservation. The restoration was completed mid-2018; 125 burials have been identified including Gower family members and 6 enslaved Gower/Woodward African Americans. The cemetery’s parcel has been updated with correct boundaries to protect these graves and new commercial-grade ornamental fencing was installed in January 2019. Regular maintenance commenced in early May 2019, funded by our Friends of Gower Cemetery group, by Dan S. Allen and Associates under the new pilot program, Historic Cemetery Maintenance Plan through the Metro Nashville Historical Commission and Foundation. Future tombstone replacements and memorial markers will be ongoing depending on donations and sponsorships.
Metro Nashville Historical Commission erected a historical marker at the site and we held a wonderful Dedication and Service of Remembrance event on April 16th, 2019. Many attended including descendants from ten states. We are thankful to Historic Nashville, Inc. for generously donating the cost of this marker. A new tombstone for Obedience Blakely Gower was erected and unveiled, 203 years to the day of her death, which was sponsored by Gower descendant Barbara Sullivan Stanfill.
Our Gower Cemetery Project was honored with a Preservation Award in the Monuments and Memorials category at the Metro Nashville Historical Commission 2019 Preservation Awards on May 9th, 2019. Also recognized were Dan S. Allen and Associates, Fletch Coke, Metro Nashville Public Works and K&C Fence Company as being an integral part of our project’s success.
We are extremely proud of this very important historical restoration project and will continue to maintain and preserve the Gower Cemetery. A sincere thank you to our project’s Co-Chair, Jana Stephenson; Fletch Coke; Tim Walker; Dan Sumner Allen IV; Vaughn Hawkins; Gary and Rebecca Frey Hawkins; K&C Fence Company; Gower descendant, Becky Mangano and the many kinsmen and friends who are part of our Friends of Gower Cemetery group. Much appreciation to everyone involved so far including helpful people at these offices and institutions: Metro Nashville Historical Commission and Foundation; Metro Nashville Archives; Tennessee State Library and Archives; Historic Nashville Inc.; Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society; Metro Nashville Public Works; Metro Nashville Planning/Mapping; Tennessee Methodist Conference Archives; Centenary United Methodist Church; Tennessee State Museum; The Nashville Retrospect and Mayor David Briley’s Office.
Friends of Gower Cemetery, Nashville TN Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1385236121498436/
Gower of Davidson County TN and Connected Families Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/497445717125210/
Metro Historical Commission Foundation’s Gower Cemetery Project Link:
https://www.nashvillemhcf.org/gower
Gower Cemetery, Nashville TN Online Blog:
https://historicgowercemetery1816.blogspot.com/
/mff 24 May 2019
