After the Civil War, freedmen formed communities all around the South. Near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Cemetery community received its name because of its location next to Stones River National Cemetery. Retired members of the United States Colored Troops chose to live in the area alongside newly freed men and women after the federal government decided to build one of the national cemeteries in this area, which would provide jobs for those who helped create and maintain the cemetery.

Founded in 1874, the Cemetery School educated local schoolchildren until 1962. The first school was used until 1945 when the new building seen above was built. The Cemetery School was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.