Pleasant Garden Cemetery

[Bob Edwards]

Dear Ridgeside, 

Yesterday's news that Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke is seeking to vacate his city's trusteeship of the Citizen's Cemetery on 3rd Street by UTC provides an opportune time to request Chattanooga City stewardship of Pleasant Garden Cemetery on Rowe Road. 

A Ridgeside presence at this Tuesday's 6 pm council meeting downtown might earn council and mayoral support to formalize the cooperation that has seen Chattanooga hauling off all the brush Mr. David Young can assemble.

I've reached out to Mr. Young but with no reply.  Were he or someone else tell the story of his massive effort and state our promise to assist in semi-annual clean-ups going forward, a happy compromise might be found that will avoid an ugly display such as took place last Saturday in Charlottesville. 

For those unconvinced that our exclusive enclave has an interest in this historic property, 50 minutes spent  watching Mark Curriden speak about Ed Johnson and his book Contempt of Court may change your mind as it did mine.  Mark speaks about donating royalties from his book to restore the cemetery that happily has already taken place.  Yet there is much more left to do.

See:  https://www.c-span.org/video/?153643-1/contempt-court

It's time for a commitment from the City of Chattanooga to take responsibility for the graves of its earliest residents and provide Pleasant Garden Cemetery with a status equal to the Confederate/Citizens Cemetery near to CSAS and UTC.

You're invited to the former Missionary Ridge Baptist Church on Tuesday by 5 pm to discuss our options.  By speaking as one, we may attract valuable support from Missionary Ridge Neighborhood Association (MRNA) and give Ridgeside a voice in our larger community.

Bob Edwards 

12 N Lynncrest Dr 

423 260 1402

www.facebook.com/ridgesidefarm

[Anne Curtis]

Bob I understood from the newspaper that the city is divesting itself from the Confederate cemetery not Pleasant Garden. I may be mistaken but that's what I understood

Anne Curtis

Sent from my iPhone

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[Eleanor Cooper]

Bob,

The fact that Mayor Berke wants to vacate the city’s trusteeship of the Confederate cemetery (which is contained within the Citizen’s Cemetery near UTC) has nothing to do with Pleasant Gardens cemetery on Rowe Rd. The two things aren’t parallel. Pleasant Gardens is privately owned, not city-owned. Many other cemeteries are privately owned and they are not asking for the city to maintain them. I don’t think Ridgeside should ask for this either. You can support the mayor’s action without asking for the city to maintain Pleasant Gardens. 

However, I do agree with you that Mr. Young's personal efforts are to be admired and appreciated. And I agree with you on another matter too --Contempt of Court is an excellent book. It is a well-written and dramatic story of the lynching of Ed Johnson in 1906, the courageous acts of the two African-American attorneys, and the subsequent actions of the Supreme Court. This case is unique in US history. Anne Curtis and Helen and Stan Smith hosted an event in June, attended by many people in the neighborhood, where they showed the documentary about the case and an update was given about the Ed Johnson Project. The Ed Johnson Project is seeking to create a memorial beside the Walnut Street Bridge, hopefully supported by both the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. They will also complete the documentary for a national audience and to build a scholarship fund at the Community Foundation for students of criminal justice. A fundraising campaign is underway now. I serve on the Ed Johnson Project committee and would be glad to answer any questions. You can learn more about the this project at www.edjohnsonproject.com or Facebook/edjohnsonproject. 

Thank you for your interest. 

Eleanor Cooper, 110 Windmere Dr.

On Aug 19, 2017, at 10:34 PM, Bob Edwards <aid...@gmail.com> wrote: