Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)

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Mount Olivet Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location: 1101 Lebanon Pike
Nashville, Tennessee
Added to NRHP: November 25, 2005
NRHP Reference#: 05001334


Mount Olivet Cemetery is a 250 acre (1 km²) cemetery located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mount Olivet has been continuously operated since its initial establishment in 1856. It serves as the final resting place for many of Middle Tennessee's political and business leaders, including several former governors of Tennessee, U.S. Senators, and U.S. Congressional Representatives. Additionally, "Confederate Circle" honors many who served on the Confederate side in the American Civil War. About 1,500 soldiers are buried there. In the 1990s, a funeral home was added to the grounds of Mount Olivet.

For many years, interment at Mount Olivet was limited to white Protestants. Even though this policy was eliminated decades ago, tradition has dictated that this remains very largely the case. In part as a result, the adjacent Calvary Cemetery (to the west) serves a similar function for Middle Tennessee Catholics the two facilities are separated only by grass - one can walk through both cemeteries at the same time, although separate entrances exist and cars cannot pass between the two. Approximately one mile (1.6 km) to the south is Greenwood Cemetery, where a large number of Middle Tennessee's most prominent African American residents are buried.

Mount Olivet Cemetery is located at 1101 Lebanon Road, approximately two miles (three km) east of downtown Nashville. It is open to the public during daylight hours.

[edit] Notable burials

[edit] References

  • Wills, W. Ridley, II. A Walking Tour of Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Nashville, 1993.