Located in Buckhead, the New Hope AME church is an anomaly compared to the exclusive homes that run along Arden Road. The vernacular church resembles many Black churches in rural Georgia with the central gable and tower. The church was founded in 1869 by newly freedmen and women. James H. Smith, a white Buckhead farmer, donated three acres of land to the congregation to build a church and a school.
The original church building was destroyed by fire in 1927. The current building consists of a 1928 basement and a 1936 sanctuary.
The school burned in 1942.
The cemetery’s earliest burial is 1889. Since the cemetery photos were taken, the cemetery has been restored.
Cliff Nelms (d. 1967)-This is an unusual marker that I believe is handmade. James R. R. Maddox (1850-1913)-The overlapping Vs likely represent a Masonic organization. Albert Daniel (1887-1904)Ada Newton-One of the handmade markers by artist Eldrin Bailey
This is the stately plot of the Kenan family. Outside of the mausoleum, there are family members buried in the large circular plot. It is located in the Oakdale Cemetery. The winged cherub at the top of the mausoleum represents innocence.
Begun in 1860, the Wilmington Board of Commissioners purchased and set aside land next to the white cemetery, Oakdale Cemetery, for the burials of the enslaved. After the Civil War, the cemetery was incorporated as Pine Forest Cemetery to serve as a cemetery for the Black citizens of Wilmington. The cemetery was officially incorporated in 1871.
Priscilla Burney, 1827-1855, and Solomon Burney, 1855-1856
During the 1898 Wilmington Massacre, where violent white supremacists killed 60-400 people and burned the offices of the Black newspapers, many citizens hid in the cemetery for safety. The massacre was the only successful overthrow of a government in the United States. The Reconstruction-era elected officials were all thrown out of office.
Charley Williams, 1861-1898
Many of the older markers have been painted in blue or pink paint. I am not certain why.
John King, 1885-1948Solomon Nash, 1779-1846Markers in the public ground sectionP. W. Spruell, 1862-1908Better MorrisGeorge Cleapor, Lt. Thomas Bullock, and Cleopatra BullockGeorge and Rose Walker
Oak Hill Cemetery started in 1833, but it didn’t get the name Oak Hill until the local newspaper ran a contest to name the cemetery in 1887. As an active cemetery with over 15,000 burials, the different markers represent funerary art over the years.
There are many notable people buried, many of whom were early settlers of the area. Several Victorian monuments grace part of the cemetery. I’ve visited the cemetery twice, 2014 and 2016. In that time, a major restoration has been done on several monuments. Photos of the changes are shown below.
The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Green K. Davis, 1817-1869This is one of the most delicate works on a marble monument that is still fully intact I’ve ever seen. It can represent triumph over death.The Bigby-Parrott family plot is the grandest in the cemetery. It also had the greatest amount of restoration work.According to Newnan friends, this marker was on the ground over the years before it put back on its pedestal. Thomas Noel Berry, (1870-1870). Captain. Tom Owen (1834-1862) died in Civil War battle near Richmond. His marker contains the Georgia state seal.
I was searching through public domain photos and found this Laurel Grove North Cemetery stereograph of the Marshall Family Plot. Stereographs consist of two nearly identical photographs created to produce a three-dimensional image to be viewed through a stereoscope. Frequently, the images are mounted on paper about the thickness and flexibility of modern-day card stock.
I have photographed one monument in this plot many times. According to the details included on the photo is that the stereograph was taken sometime between 1860-1890. Margaret Marshall Barclay is the daughter of Mary and Colonel James Marshall. For those that know Savannah’s history, Mary Marshall was the founder of the Marshall House.
I’ve always found it difficult to photograph this plot due to the plants surrounding it. I do not know if the ironwork was removed due to deterioration or to help with World War II efforts when iron was in high demand.
The obelisk is the marker for Mary and James Marshall. I do not believe the marker that looks like a small child exists in that plot. The next time I am in Savannah, I will need to double-check.
If you are familiar with the Taliaferro Angel in Bonaventure, Margaret Barclay is Marie Taliaferro’s mother.
Margaret Marshall Barclay, 1841-1866. The rocks under the sculpture’s base mean a life built on a firm foundation.
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