The Grave of Rosa Mary Dean
On a rainy night in 1949, a young woman arrived by train in Franklin, Tennessee, and walked off into the night. The next morning, her body was found near an incinerator by the high school. Her throat had been cut. The murder has become a fixture of town lore, yet its victim lies in an unmarked grave. An effort to give her a headstone raises the questions: Who do we choose to remember? And why? Production assistance from Bailey Robbins Edited by Mack Linebaugh, Emily Siner, and Anita Bugg Sponsors: Yazoo Brewing Company and Baja Burrito Music by Podington Bear and Dan Burns Correction: an earlier version of this story stated the John Golden was buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Franklin, Tenn. He is buried at Cool Springs Cemetery in Bethesda, Tenn.
On a rainy night in 1949, a young woman arrived by train in Franklin, Tennessee, and walked off into the night. The next morning, her body was found near an incinerator by the high school. Her throat had been cut. The murder has become a fixture of town lore, yet its victim lies in an unmarked grave. An effort to give her a headstone raises the questions: Who do we choose to remember? And why? Production assistance from Bailey Robbins Edited by Mack Linebaugh, Emily Siner, and Anita Bugg Sponsors: Yazoo Brewing Company and Baja Burrito Music by Podington Bear and Dan Burns Correction: an earlier version of this story stated the John Golden was buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Franklin, Tenn. He is buried at Cool Springs Cemetery in Bethesda, Tenn.
Listen On
Featured Episodes
The Tree
When a Nashville man named Robert was young, no one seemed to care that he didn’t know how to read. As he got older, lack of literacy affected his life in devastating ways no one could have predicted. Now at …
Miso's Brother
Miso and Dejan are Bosnian refugees who met as children when they were both resettled in the same apartment complex in Nashville, Tenn. After they each turned 30 they made a pilgrimage all the way back to Bosnia to visit …
Shine Service
Robert Person Sr. — Percy, as he’s known — has been shining shoes for 70 years. He started around age 10 and now, at 80, continues to work at Percy’s Shoe Shine Service in Nashville. He’s worn out, stressed out, …