By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–September 30 will be a big day in Henry County, with Arts ‘Round The Square, the Paris/Henry County Bicentennial finale and the latest Paris City Cemetery tour scheduled for the same day.
Members of the Bicentennial Committee met Monday afternoon at the County Archives to formulate its plans for the day, which will include booths with Paris memorabilia, reading of historic proclamations, judging of the beard contest and possible historic displays in store windows around the court square.
September 30 is the date that the city of Paris was incorporated and Bicentennial Committee members have been plannng the finale of the two-year Bicentennial celebrations for Paris and Henry for that date.
At the request of County Cemetery Committee members Susan Stewart and Marge Barrows, the Bicentennial Committee agreed to co-sponsor the Paris City Cemetery tour, which is set to begin at 1 p.m. that day.
Stewart said 13 gravesites will be on this year’s tour, which will include E.W. Grove, Governor Porter, the Bunch Brothers, Susan Atkins family, Will Aden, Mordecai Johnson’s family, Mayor Frank McNeill, and others. This is the main fund-raiser for the Cemetery Committee, which uses the money to refurbish grave markers in the county, for research and to install signs at the county’s cemeteries.
Arts ‘Round The Square is sponsored by the Arts Council and they are planning their activities for that day.
In other business:
–The committee finalized plans for an official marking of the unmarked grave of Camp Tyson soldier at Maplewood Cemetery. Pvt. Herman Hankins was murdered in Routon outside of Camp Tyson in July of 1943. He was a member of the historic 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, which was the only all African American regiment to participate in D-Day. Pvt. Hankins was buried in an unmarked grave at the cemetery.
The ceremony to mark his grave will be held July 29. A marker is being provided by Henry County Monument Co. and a veterans’ memorial marker also will be placed at the grave. Presentations will be made and a wreath laid at the gravesite.
–At the request of Henry County Archivist Stephanie Tayloe, the committee agreed to begin planning for the installation of a memorial recognizing the county’s Revolutionary War soldiers.
Photo: Members of the Bicentennial Committee met Monday afternoon. Shannon McFarlin photo.