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An  historic African-American Brentwood cemetery is being brought back to life by an Eagle Scout and a Leadership Brentwood Team.

Brentwood High School junior and Eagle Scout candidate Chase Summer and several friends and adult leaders recently began clearing years of brush and trees from the Frierson-Voorhies Cemetery, located behind the Brentwood-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home on Church Street.

In addition to this new walking bridge, the restoration project includes adding an historic marker.

The Brentwood Historic Commission has endorsed the work on the cemetery and been instrumental in promoting and advising on the project.

“Historical cemeteries provide us with outdoor history museums, art galleries with stone decorations and markings, research facilities as well as places to contemplate life and remember those that have gone before,” said Kathy Greaves, cemetery chair for the commission. “It is a valued part of our Brentwood history we strive to preserve.”

“This project helps to refurbish a sacred resting place for many African-Americans who have been laid to rest in this area,” Deb Enright, one of five Leadership Brentwood members spearheading this project, explained.  “We intend to add a walking bridge, historic marker and make this cemetery available for citizens of Brentwood to enjoy and appreciate.”

This project is one of three performed yearly by members of the current Leadership Brentwood class. Leadership Brentwood, a program of the BCS Chamber Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce, educates current and future community leaders about Brentwood.

“We are making an effort to secure funding from interested individuals who would like to see the cemetery recognized and honored,” said Josh Terry, a member of the Leadership Brentwood team who owns Tennessee Title Service, LLC and Raymond Preston and Reed, LLC.

Donations can be sent to Leadership Brentwood, 5211 Maryland Way, Suite 1080, Brentwood, TN  37027 or can be made online at www.leadershipbrentwood.org. 

Enright praised Summer, a member of Boy Scout Troop 227. “We couldn’t have done this without his help and the help of the other volunteers.  We were actually looking at paying several thousands of dollars to accomplish this task.  This group did yeoman’s work on this project,” she said.

“The cemetery has stones that date back to the 1880s.  There are several graves that are now free of underbrush and can be viewed easily”, says Zak Keiper a member of the group who is a senior account executive for Windstream Communications in Brentwood.

Kelly Williams, who manages the Reliant Bank in Brentwood and is also on the Leadership Brentwood team explains, “The before and after pictures on this project are incredible.  The large amount of work done in a short time is extraordinary.”