Opened in 1857, Myrtle Hill Cemetery is one of three cemeteries in Rome, Georgia, that sits on top of a hill to avoid potential flooding from nearby rivers, the Etowah and Oostanaula. The cemetery got its name from the creeping myrtle that covered the cemetery.
There were several Civil War battles in and around Rome, which necessitated the use of Myrtle Hill as a Confederate burial ground. Additionally, there were hospitals to take care of the sick and wounded, so many of those soldiers were buried in the Confederate section of Myrtle Hill.
The Tippin Angel
The cemetery consists of several plateaus (terraces) to create the layered wedding cake design of the roads and sections of the cemeteries. The highest point in the cemetery is known as Crown Point.
The Cheney AngelThe Griffin AngelLittle Mary Hardy, 1878-1879, raises her arms up to her parents, Kathryn and Samuel Hardy. Branham markerHattie Bass Veal, d. 1913Close-up of the Veal monumentHenry Woolfolk, 1893-1910This shows some of the “layers” of Myrtle Hill. In this part of the cemetery, most of the roads are blocked because of how tight the area is for cars.
Overlooking the Ocoee River in Benton, Tennessee are the graves of Nanyehi (known more by her colonized name of Nancy Ward), her son Five Killer, and her brother Longfellow. Nanyehi was known as a Beloved Woman of the Cherokee because of her bravery in a battle and for how she kept her tribe safe during the American Revolutionary War.
By the age of 17, Nanyehi was married to Tsu-la and had two children. She fought alongside her husband against the Creek Nation. When he died during the war, she took his gun and helped in the battle.
In the late 1750s, she married a man named Bryan Ward from South Carolina. Ward was married to another woman in South Carolina. Ward and Nanyehi had one daughter. Ward eventually moved back to South Carolina to be with his other wife and children.
Nanyehi stayed in the area and ran an inn until her death.
Mt. Sumach Baptist Church is located in the hills of the Georgia Mountains near the Tennessee State line. The church’s graveyard is typical of many rural church cemeteries. There are a mixture of modest headstones. Additionally, there are a handful of vernacular markers. Two of these markers are the “head and shoulder” markers, which I usually see made out of wood. The pink marble marker is likely made from Tate, Georgia pink marble.
The grey granite marker says “MRA.” I am not sure what these two markers together mean.This is a typical Victorian marker which symbolizes the curtains are closing.The head and shoulders marker of Jackson Columbus Hooker, who only lived for one day. There was no visible name on this marker.While I suspect this marker was a commercially made market, I liked that it had a myriad of colors.
This Craftsman-style home is tucked into a corner at the back of Crestlawn Cemetery. For the number of times I have visited this cemetery, I have managed to miss it until recently. Tax records indicate the home was built in 1910. Crestlawn Cemetery wasn’t established until 1916.
The original owners were the Allen family, Cora and Frank and their sons, James and Horace. Frank Allen served as the sexton for Crestlawn Cemetery until his death in 1946. Both James and Horace lived in the home after their parents passed. Horace was the last Allen to live here when he passed away in 1975.
This is the view through the one window that was not boarded up. Sadly, the home is in horrible condition.This is the storage shed in the yard. I just loved the light with the fall colors.
Credits to Archive Atlanta for the initial information on the house.
William T. Mullen (1834-1863) liked whiskey too much for his wife, Mary. She threatened she would put a whiskey bottle marker on his grave if he didn’t sober up.
He died on July 18, 1863, one month before his daughter, Mary Arabella, who died on August 13, 1863, at the age of 14 months.
New Harmony Methodist was established in 1890. It’s last service was held in 2001. Located not far from Lake Hartwell, the cemetery served two different congregations. Mount Zion Baptist Church was demolished when they determined their land was needed to create Lake Hartwell. Interments were moved to Nee Harmony’s cemetery.
This is one of the two vultures who were resting atop a grave house.A closer shot of the Fleming grave house. The husband and wife are listed, along with their children. My assumption is that the children are buried elsewhere, and this is serving as a cenotaph. Unless cremated, I am uncertain the grave house. could fit the parents and children
