NEWPORT — Volunteers are needed to help with cleaning up a Cocke County cemetery that plays an important role in the county’s history. The first planned public cleanup day for Roadman Cemetery is set for Saturday, March 22, starting at 10 a.m.
Located atop a hill on the northern side of the French Broad River just past the intersection of Highway 160 and Highway 321, the cemetery holds the graves of many of the early residents of the area.
Roadman Cemetery, which is sometimes called Old Town Cemetery, has graves dating back to the late 1700s. It is believed to have been the first municipal cemetery in Old Town, which was prior to the town of Newport moving to its current location…