Free Hill — A Forgotten Community

Free Hill — A Forgotten Community is a Tennessee historical marker in McMinn County.

Located on the back side of the city of Community Athens Municipal Building; Perpendicular to Knoxville Avenue and Parallel to St. Mark’s Church in Athens.

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Established in the 1850s, Free Hill was a community of free, educated African Americans. These men and women were skilled tradespersons who owned property and businesses. By 1854, they advertised In newspapers. St. Mark's AME Zion Church, built in 1867, was the cornerstone of the Free Hill Community and was the first church erected by and for African Americans in the McMinn County area. Free Hill was a symbol of pride and faith in a tumultuous time.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1829 · Tennessee (A. Finley, 1829) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1844 · Kentucky (H. S. Tanner, 1844) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1862 · Johnson's Kentucky & Tennessee (1862) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1864 · Kentucky And Tennessee (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1886 · Cleveland, Tennessee (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

Example

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What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

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Marker text and location from the Tennessee Historical Commission, as the Commission publishes them on its marker map.

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