Exploring the living history of Promise Land, Tennessee

Promise Land was established and settled by formerly enslaved people near Charlotte, Tenn., during Reconstruction.

The original settlers included at least five former members of the United States Colored Troops: Clark Garrett, Landin Williams, Ed Vanleer and the brothers John and Arch Nesbitt.

The community grew at one point to about 1,000 acres, home to about 50 families. It remained independent and flourished in spite of Jim Crow. But during the Great Migration, families began moving away, many to Ohio and other locations in the Midwest. By the 1950s, the town dwindled and only a few families remained. At one point, just about two descendants of the original settlers remained.

Today, the St. John Promise Land Church and the old Promise Land School Building are all that remain of the original town. The school closed in 1957 and, thanks to the efforts of the Promise Land Heritage Association, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Each June, descendants and others gather to celebrate this place and to keep its stories alive.

But first, at the top of the show, we respond to your comments with our weekly @ us! segment.

Guests:

• Serina Kay Gilbert, descendant of three founding families; executive director of Promise Land Heritage Association
• Sokoto Fulani, descendant of John Nesbitt
• Learotha Williams, professor of African American and public history, Tennessee State University