The History of Cavett's Station and Mars Hill Cemetery

The history of the Cavett’s Station site dates back to 1790, when Alexander Cavett purchased 640 acres of land on Sinking Creek, in what is now Knox County, TN. On September 25, 1793, Alexander, his family, and two Sullivan County militiamen, were attacked and killed by a force of approximately 1,000 Cherokee and Creek warriors. This event was known as the Cavett's Station Massacre.

After the massacre, the victims were buried on a hill where Alexander had buried his mother the year before, in 1792. Alexander Cavett's brother, Moses Cavett, along with his wife, Agnes, moved onto Alexander's land, and upon their deaths, were buried in the same area. This burial ground was then referred to as the Cavett Family Cemetery.

Mars Hill Baptist Church, established in 1855, was built nearby, and soon began to use the cemetery for their church graveyard. The majority of the burials in the cemetery date to the time of the church's use of the land. After the church burned down, and a new one was built up the road, the name of the cemetery became Mars Hill Cemetery, and we still use that name today. 

A monument dedicated to the memory of the massacre victims was erected in 1921 by the Sons of the American Revolution. It stands proudly in the center of the cemetery. There are many unmarked graves in Mars Hill Cemetery. The headstones that remain in the cemetery are organized into family groupings, primarily at the eastern and western ends of the cemetery.