Tag Archives: cemetery

-Georgia, Cemeteries

The “Crypt” of Thalia and Michael C. Carlos in Sandy Springs, Georgia

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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.

-North Carolina, Cemeteries, Famous People

Hair Clips and $1.87-The Gifts Left on O. Henry’s Grave

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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.

-North Carolina, Black History, Cemeteries, Churches and Temples, National Register of Historic Places

St. John “A” Baptist Church and South Asheville Cemetery

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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

-North Carolina, Cemeteries, Famous People

The Graves of The McCrary Twins-World’s Largest Twins

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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.

-North Carolina, Cemeteries, Famous People

The Final Resting Place of Author Thomas Wolfe in Asheville, North Carolina

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Born in Asheville, North Carolina, author Thomas Wolfe’s final resting place is in Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery. His most notable work, Look Homeward, Angel, was a fictionalized version of his life. Wolfe died at the age of 37 of tuberculosis. He is buried next to his parents.

The colorful array of pens left to honor the author
-Georgia, Black History, Vernacular Headstones

Historic Piney Grove Cemetery Hidden in Atlanta‘s Buckhead

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Piney Grove Cemetery is the last vestige of a historic Black community in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia. It is now surrounded by condos and within earshot of the Georgia 400 Highway. It’s only accessible by a grassy path along the backside of the condos.

It is believed the community dates back to the 1820s. At one time, the Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church stood at the top of the cemetery’s hill. A storm destroyed it in 1996.

1938 aerial photo
1955 Aerial photo
1960 Aerial photo
1968 Aerial photo
1988 Aerial photo
1993 Aerial photo that shows Georgia 400
2002 Aerial photo
2015 Aerial photo
Aerial 2022 photo

These aerial photos show how the land was built around the church in the cemetery. The 1993 aerial photo shows how close Georgia 400 is to the church and the cemetery. By 2002, the condominiums come into view around the cemetery.

For the past several years, a dedicated group of volunteers has been trying to reclaim the cemetery from nature. Many of the volunteers have ancestors who once attended the church and have family members buried in the cemetery.

Jane Wright, 1890-1910
Ed Lucas, d. February 20, 1935
Rev. Samuel Sawyer, d. March 1948, with an Eldren Bailey marker
A broken market with hand etching
Frank Brown, d. June 29, 1942