HISTORY

For the past 120 years, Beck Knob cemetery has been a repository of centuries worth of history and culture. Being the first documented African American cemetery in Chattanooga, Joshua Beck created it as a resting place for the enslaved and their families. In 1888, the land was deeded to the Hurst United Methodist Church. From the year 1888 to the 1940s, Beck Knob cemetery was used very frequently. The cemetery is the home of many formerly enslaved African Americans. The oldest person interred there is Mrs. Julia Winship. The cemetery is a sanctuary for many deceased African Americans who lived through turbulent and unforgiving times, and remains an incredibly significant piece of North Chattanooga’s history.