African Cemetery No. 2 is the earliest recorded cemetery organized, owned, and managed by the Black citizens of Lexington, Kentucky. Purchased in 1869 by the Union Benevolent Society No. 2 and chartered in 1870, it served as a burial ground until 1976.
The cemetery’s notable residents include Oliver Lewis, the first Kentucky Derby winner, and Isaac Burns Murphy, a three-time Derby-winning jockey. It also contains graves of over 150 U.S. Colored Troops, including soldiers from the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Regiments.
After decades of neglect, the site was declared abandoned in 1973. Plans for development ended when surveys revealed over 5,000 burials. In 1979, Rev. Horace Henry Greene lead the restoration efforts of the cemetery and founded the non-profit to manage the cemetery. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Keys was a noted groomer and worked for the Idlehour Stock Farm.
Greenwood Cemetery was founded in 1903 in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a historic Black cemetery that fell into disrepair after neglectful owners stopped caring for it. In recent years, the local chapter of the National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETS) has volunteered its time to assist with upkeep. It’s estimated there are at least 800 veterans buried in the cemetery.
The NABVETS are there almost every Saturday helping maintain and improve the cemetery grounds.
If you would like to follow along to see the progress on the cemetery, you can find more info on their two Facebook pages. This one seems a bit more active.
I learned about Harmony Hill Cemetery when an account I follow posted images of a ledger stone with marbles. Marbles are one of my favorite folk art finds on headstones, and I will document them whenever I can. I was in Chambers County looking for the William “Rock” Jackson grave markers and decided to find this cemetery.
Note the brick piers.
The cemetery can be found on a dirt road west of Oak Bowery. The easiest path into cemetery lead me to what I believe are the remains of the Harmony Hill Baptist Church.
Research has not given me much information. According to FindAGrave, the earliest burial is 1891. The most recent obituary is from 1971, which matches the last burial in the cemetery. Jeffie Allison (1887-1981) is one of five members of the Allison family buried here.
One of the dozens of field stones in the cemetery.I believe this to be an old grave marker.This is the grave of Lucy Presley (1871-1927). Her headstone is a common handmade one that can be seen in the South. Her grave ledger is decorated with marbles. Close-up of Lucy Presley’s headstoneThese are the graves of brothers James and Luke Moody. They died within six days of each other in 1903. A records search doesn’t show why they died so close to each other.Patsie Jones (d. 1922)
If you know more about this church and cemetery, please let me know.
William Rufus “Rock” Jackson (1808-1892) was a gin operator, miller, and headstone carver who lived and worked in Chambers County, Alabama. Jackson became known for his carving and made many tombstones for his family and community members using local green schist or steatite. Also known as soapstone, steatite is mainly composed of talc, which makes it relatively soft.
Mount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, Alabama
Jackson’s markers, characterized by their distinctive green-blue coloring, can be found throughout eastern Alabama. Colloquially, the stone was also called “blue marble.” The headstones feature a variety of symbols with recognizable lettering. According to Cox (2010), who wrote their thesis on Jackson’s tombstones, the most common elements are hearts and fern branches, but there are dozens of designs in the over 400 markers they documented. Markers have been identified in four counties.
Mount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, Alabama
So far, I have documented the vernacular headstones in three cemeteries: Long Cane Baptist Church in Troup County, Georgia (top image), Mount Hickory Cemetery in Chambers County, and Concord Primitive Baptist Church in Randolph County. One thing I noticed is that not all headstones were oriented toward the east, so it made photographing the headstones a challenge. I will document more headstones during future visits to eastern Alabama.
Mount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, Alabama
If you want to know more, I highly recommend Monica Norton Cox’s thesis about Rock Jackson. It can be found here.
Mount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaMount Hickory Cemetery outside of LaFayette, AlabamaConcord Primitive Baptist Church in Wadley, AlabamaConcord Primitive Baptist Church in Wadley, AlabamaConcord Primitive Baptist Church in Wadley, AlabamaConcord Primitive Baptist Church in Wadley, Alabama
The King Cemetery is located off Brighton Road in the community of Carnigan. Land was purchased by Lizzie King. The cemetery is still active.
Arthur Williams Sr.(1890-1924)Abe Jackson (The symbol at the bottom likely represents a fraternal order.)No nameReverend BJ Jackson (d. 1932)Susie Harmon (d. 1925)John McDonald (d. 1932)Lee Sams (The eye symbol likely represents a higher power.)A. Williams (d. 1941)Lucille Williams (d. 1925)Betsy Williams (d.1950)John WilliamsBrenda McCaskill (1964-2021)
Mitchell Grove Baptist Church is located on a dirt road south of Cuthbert, Georgia. There is not much printed information on the church. According to FindAGrave, the earliest burial was in 1893. A historic resources survey indicates the church was built in 1894. I believe that is the structure that is in overgrowth. The double front doors and multiple windows on the side of the building indicate a church.
The single-tower white building is in good condition and is still used by the congregation. Obituaries indicate that the cemetery is still active and has remained active throughout the church’s history. The cemetery has a mixture of vernacular and commercial headstones.
Carrie Bankston HarperMillie Nickson Died April 12, 1937Plot of Sammie and Ossie ThomasThe double front doors of what could be the original churchWhile hard to see, several windows could be seen on either side of the church
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