Affricanna Town

Affricanna Town was an important African American community with Civil War origins that stood on land now covered by quiet water near Clarksville. In February 1862, the U.S. Army's capture of Clarksville prompted many enslaved African Americans to self-liberate and seek refuge with the Federal garrison at Fort Bruce. Clarksville quickly became a haven, and by July 1864 nearly 2000 formerly enslaved people had sought protection at the Union camp. In October 1864, military Governor Andrew Johnson extended the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation to Tennessee's enslaved people, and the Clarksville refugee camp grew to more than 4,000 people. By the end of that year, part of the refugee population had established a small village that whites called Affricanna Town. There, recently emancipated African Americans, many of them families of United States Colored Troops, built a first step of freedom. The Freedman's Bureau ended the military refugee camp in 1865, but Affricanna Town remained active until at least 1867. By 1872 the village was gone, and the landscape was soon developed as the first resort at Dunbar Cave. Affricanna Town and the refugee camp at Fort Bruce provided essential safety and security for formerly enslaved African Americans and represent the power of community making and the persistent voice and agency of recently emancipated African American citizens.

Clarksville, Tennessee · United States