Our Stories Project presents update on neglected Shiloh Church graveyard
- Chuck Thompson
- Oct 21
- 3 min read
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
A special presentation was held for the Shelby City Council Monday night during their regularly scheduled public meeting.
The nonprofit organization known as Our Stories Project, has been working on identifying an African American graveyard and the Shiloh School, that once educated black children sometime after the Civil War. Their goal is to place educational markers at the site, to record the place for history and educate current and future generations.
Chavis Gash made the initial and majority of the presentation, along with Zachary Dressel, the assistant director and curator of the Earl Scruggs Center.
A five-year endeavor, Gash stated this was their second time in front of the city council.
“We came before you about three years ago on this project we were working on with Sunset Cemetery,” Gash explained, noting that much has been discovered since then through talking with people in the community. “We spread word all over the community just so we can let people know what is going on or might know somebody buried there, or knows somebody that knows somebody, that knows somebody, buried there.”
The graveyard, believed to potentially have unconfirmed former slaves and other descendants of slaves buried there, post-Civil War, was last known to had a record of four remaining tombstones in the 1930’s, but many of the tombstones were wood and has since deteriorated, making it difficult to know the names of the Cleveland county residents buried there over the past 100 – 150 years.
Located at the edge of Sunset Cemetery, Gash said The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer has been helpful in their research, noting, “We try not to be invasive but we appreciate their help.”
Dressel said they have uncovered many documents, mostly church records and death records that have provided insights of the original Shiloh Baptist church site of the first African American school in Cleveland County. They have also found some buried wells and foundations that they are not sure yet if any of these foundations might be the original church site.
“We want to make sure that we are able to honor those buried out there,” added Gash. He proposed to place two education markers on the church site about those buried there, “It’s our responsibility to our community to remember those buried out there.”
Gash and Dressel showed the council a draft of the content that will be on the markers. The markers will include information beginning with the founding of Shiloh Church and the first African American school after the Civil War, up until now.
“We want people to understand the process that went into this – not just the final product,” said Dressel.
Shelby Mayor Stan Anthory thanked all those involved in the project, adding, “It’s very enlightening, does my heart good.”
Council member Violet Arth, Ward 4, said she is glad to know there will be educational markers, and asked if a boundary of the location would be marked. Gash and Dressel replied they do not know, at this time, if there will be boundaries for the entire site, but once they can better define the church’s cemetery, they will try to do that if they can raise additional funds for any new surveys.
“We seemed to have only scratched the surface,” added Dressel. “We find areas creeping over to the episcopal church but we need more studies to determine that.”
Council member David White, Ward 2, asked if they had identified how many were buried there to which they know of at least 40 were buried there with possible more. “We’ve long lost headstones because the burials are 150 years old,” Dressel replied.
Council member Andrew Hopper, Ward 6, stated he was glad to see this finally happening, noting it was long overdue.
City council lauded the dedicated work already completed by Our Stories Project, and with a noted memorandum, asked them to come back with a more complete proposal at a future date.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
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