France Cemetery (1858)
Tennessee Highway 84
North of Sparta, TN
Photos and text by Carroll Van West, 2006
The France Cemetery is the final resting place of famous Confederate partisan Champ Ferguson, who harassed Federal soldiers and Unionist supporters throughout the Upper Cumberland from 1862 to 1865. Historian Noel Fisher counts Ferguson as “perhaps the most successful partisan leader in the East Tennessee war.” Union officials executed Ferguson for his wartime record in October 1865.
The cemetery also has many excellent examples of “comb” graves, a distinctive mid-19th century to early 20th century folk art tradition that is concentrated in White and Overton counties. Comb graves are made of sandstone, with gothic-inspired headstones and footnotes; the actual grave is covered by two rectangular sandstone slabs laid in tent-fashion, creating a “gable roof” over the grave. Among the most interesting examples of material culture in the region, the comb graves give this cemetery added historical significance.
France Cemetery (1858)
Tennessee Highway 84
North of Sparta, TN
Photos and text by Carroll Van West, 2006
The France Cemetery is the final resting place of famous Confederate partisan Champ Ferguson, who harassed Federal soldiers and Unionist supporters throughout the Upper Cumberland from 1862 to 1865. Historian Noel Fisher counts Ferguson as “perhaps the most successful partisan leader in the East Tennessee war.” Union officials executed Ferguson for his wartime record in October 1865.
The cemetery also has many excellent examples of “comb” graves, a distinctive mid-19th century to early 20th century folk art tradition that is concentrated in White and Overton counties. Comb graves are made of sandstone, with gothic-inspired headstones and footnotes; the actual grave is covered by two rectangular sandstone slabs laid in tent-fashion, creating a “gable roof” over the grave. Among the most interesting examples of material culture in the region, the comb graves give this cemetery added historical significance.
