Powell Baptist Church’s congregation began in 1879. Its founding date indicates that this is a freedmen’s church, which means its founders were likely enslaved. The first minister was Reverend J. Bowell. Tax records indicate the church was built at the same time. At some point, the edifice was covered in brick. The painted brick archway adds character to the building. The church is still active.
There are many different types of headstones found here, from homemade to commercial. The most surprising find is what appears to be two separate cairns placed end to end. So far, I’ve only found this covering in historically white cemeteries in Georgia.
The vernacular marker for Eddie Leonard (1950-1981)CairnsLeon Leonard (1939-1967)Mr. Oscar Lee Beach (1900-1983)The Eldren Bailey marker for Luella OwensThe modern crowned marker and ledger stone for Rosie Lee Thomas Biggs (1932-2013)
Smith Hill Cemetery is located in the southwest part of Talbotton, Georgia. Like many cemeteries in Georgia, it illustrates a community’s history and funerary art changes through its landscape and the types of headstones found throughout the cemetery.
The vernacular marker for the Riley family
Located on a hill, the cemetery is almost completely overgrown except for specific cleared areas for more recent burials. It is said that this cemetery started as a cemetery for the enslaved, but this is frequently said about overgrown cemeteries that are a final resting place that serves the Black community. For this one, it is certainly possible because Talbot County’s 1860 Slave Census shows over 4,000 people held in bondage, and there was a plantation in the area. However, I did not locate any research that confirmed this. Still, it is a historic cemetery active since the late 1800s.
Iron fence around a plot
What is known is that this has served the Black community as a final burying place for several generations. Researching old obituaries, I found that church members from the nearby St. Phillips AME Church, Shady Grove Baptist Church, and other area churches are buried here. Some common names in the cemetery are Trice, Kimbrough, and Martin.
Rufus Martin (1903-1978)
There are many influences on markers, from Victorian-influenced ones to handmade ones, field stones, ironwork, and modern markers. A common form of handmade headstones in Georgia is the rounded concrete one. Often, marbles are used as a decorative addition to the marker. They are some of my favorite ones to find in a cemetery. The concrete headstone of the Riley family is a new favorite. The combination of the marbles and the line drawings makes it incredibly unique.
Jack Raines Sr. (1907-1978)
Additional markers in the cemetery include a painted blue Eldren Bailey marker, fieldstones, and a homemade obelisk with name plates made of professionally made marble. More recent burials use a common granite form found in almost any cemetery in the United States. However, a more recent handmade brick crypt was made for Willie Battle.
The Victorian-influenced marker of Mary Chapman, 1868-1905A fieldstone
If you are into exploring cemeteries, don’t skip the lesser-visited or overgrown ones. You never know what you might discover. Some people are a bit more daring than I am and will visit during high snake and tick season, but Smith Hill Cemetery is the perfect cemetery to visit in the fall and winter once there is a chill in the air.
The Eldren Bailey marker for Mr. Edmon Lamar (1899-1956)MotherHodges
Michael C. Carlos was a businessman and philanthropist in Atlanta, Georgia. His wealth was built in the wine and spirit wholesale industry. He was known for donating significant amounts of his wealth, especially to Emory University and Woodward Academy.
The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University was named for him in honor of his $20 million gift to help build a permanent home for the Emory University Museum of Art and Archeology. When asked why he was so generous, he replied,
It’s better than a tombstone.
While he did feel donating his wealth would leave a lasting impact, it’s easy to say that his and his wife’s final resting place in Arlington Cemetery leaves a lasting impression. Michael and his wife, Thalia, rest in separate crypts surrounded by columns and angels. The family estate, the term for large family plots in this cemetery, overlooks a lake. If you find yourself in Sandy Springs, this lawn cemetery is worth a visit.
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. Porter’s pen name was O. Henry. A prolific short story writer, his most famous story is “The Gift of the Magi,” a story about a husband and wife who struggle to afford Christmas gifts and their determination to buy the perfect gift for each other.
Buried in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery, visitors frequently leave $1.87 on his grave, the amount Della possessed in savings at the story’s beginning, and hair clips.
If you’ve never read the story or want to reread it, you can read it for free on Google Play Books.
Located in South Asheville, the St. John “A” Baptist Church and the South Asheville Cemetery were originally part of a Black community that was absorbed into Kenilworth. The cemetery and church were not annexed into Kenilworth.
Built in 1929, this brick Gothic Revival church is the third church for the congregation. It is located next to the South Asheville Cemetery, which began as a cemetery for the enslaved. Its first caretaker was George Avery (1844-1938). Believed to be a United States Color Troop member, he returned to Asheville after the Civil War and became the sexton to care for the cemetery.
It is estimated that over 3000 people are buried in the cemetery, which was one of the few places where Black community members of Asheville could be buried. There are only about 100 headstones in the cemetery, though.
The church is now the official steward of the cemetery. When the cemetery became overgrown, volunteers from the church took care of it. Fortunately, the church now receives help from volunteers across the city.
The church and cemetery were put on the National Register of Historic Places
Billy (1946-1979) and Benny (1946-2001) McCrary were born in 1946 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. At the age of 4, they contracted rubella, which caused permanent damage to their pituitary glands.
Their large size led them to have jobs at Circus Circus Las Vegas, where they road minibikes. They also wrestled in Japan under the name of the McGuire Twins.
They were inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1978. At the time, they weighed over 700 lbs.
Billy McCrary died in 1979 in a motorcycle accident in Niagara Falls. Benny lived until 2001. They are buried in Crab Creek Baptist Church Cemetery outside Hendersonville, North Carolina.
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