New stops are coming to the Clarksville-Montgomery County African American Legacy Trail

Editor's note: The Leaf-Chronicle has showcased local trailblazers, intellectuals, activists and heroes in February during Black History Month. The last story in our series features an in-depth look at the Clarksville-Montgomery County African American Legacy Trail. This story serves as a companion piece to that article.

The duo behind the Clarksville-Montgomery County African American Legacy Trail is eyeing the southern part of the county as they look to add more stops to the trail in the near future.

Founder Shana Thorton and historian/co-writer Jerome Parchman consider the trail a "living document," of the community's Black History, calling it a trip down Black history lane that explores the area's deep-rooted and historic connections.

They've added 25 destinations to the trail since it was first established in February 2019. All of the stops feature historic Black people and places at locations all over the county.

Some of the trail's newest locations include an Africana Town marker in Dunbar Cave State Park and The CSM Sidney Brown Park on Burch Street.

"We chose the current locations that are now listed in the (trail) brochure because they are special to Black history and/or they are connected to a leader in Clarksville’s Black history legacy," Thorton said. "The current brochure honors Black leaders in Clarksville’s history who made a national and/or international impact in their chosen fields."

An updated print brochure, with several new trail additions, is tentatively scheduled for release in the 2023-24 school year, Thorton said.

"It’s a big revision, so it will take some time to complete," she explained.

Thorton and Parchman want to include more artists and local leaders in the revision. The plan is to include Black history in more parts of Montgomery County by extending the trail to the Southside and Palmyra areas.

Here are some of the additions that the community should look forward to:

• Artist Marvin Posey, Jr.

• Pool player James Evans

• Edgefield Missionary Baptist Church

• U.S. Colored Troops monument at Fort Defiance

• Educator Hattie Walker Wilhoite, the first African American woman to graduate from Austin Peay State University

Alexis Clark can be reached at aclark@gannett.com or 931-217-8519.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Montgomery County's African American Legacy Trail planning new sites