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.