Circa 1809- Bell's Campground Cemetery

Bell's Campground Cemetery dates back to around 1809.

Location: 7920 Bell Campground Road, Knoxville

Source Info: Robert McGinnis' cemetery database.

As you can see in the second picture, there is a large monument, with a bell on top, near the oldest section of the cemetery. The inscription on the monument reads:

BELLS CAMP GROUND

In memory of Robert M. Bell and Jno. Menifee, who donated this land to build a non-denominational church building to worship almighty God, in the year 1809. The foundation stone was laid Sept. 9, 1809, where this pyramid now stands.

In the fourth and fifth pictures, the hand-carved stone is very hard to read. However, a user of the website www.FindAGrave.com claims to have the scoop on this burial. Apparently this gravestone is for a Martha M. Ragan/Reagan West, born August 18, 1819 in Blount County, TN and died somewhere in Tennessee on June 19, 1884. See more information about her at the link above.

Jake S. Gentry's headstone is awesome with its train! According to a user on www.findagrave.com, Gentry was a steam engineer for Southern Railroad, and died in a head on collision with another train, near Chattanooga, Tennessee.