Davidson County Archives - To Die for Images

Mount Ararat Cemetery was the first burial ground for Black citizens in Nashville, Tennessee. Opened in April 1869, the property was purchased for $5,000 by the Colored Sons of Relief Number One and the Colored Benevolent Society.

Over 15,000 burials are in the cemetery. Many of these are unmarked, but some markers showcase the wealth and prominence of some of the individuals.

Dr. Robert Boyd (1855-1912) was a doctor educated at Meharry Medical College. He became a prominent citizen in Nashville and was considered an accomplished physician when he died.

Lucia Harris (1837-1909) and Sarah Jones (1857-1888)

The Nelson Merry Memorial Association erected the marker of Rev. Nelson Merry (1824-1884), founder of First Colored Baptist Church on Spruce Street, now known as First Baptist Street Capitol Hill.

The sculpture of Rev. Merry on his obelisk makes it the most prominent marker in the cemetery. If you look closely on the right, you can see the outline of a cicada. Photographing the cemetery with thousands of flying cicadas was challenging.

The Victorian-influenced marker of Cora Haynes (1867-1889)

May 17, 1929 announcement in the *Nashville Banner*

grave marker with designs that cut through the marker

The Abbott’s Creek Primitive Baptist Church was founded in 1756 in Davidson County, North Carolina. This is one of twelve county cemeteries containing at least one pierced headstone made by local craftsmen during the early to mid-nineteenth century.

In 1981, the National Endowment for the Humanities conducted a photographic survey of these soapstone markers and categorized them in different phases of styles. This type of sculptural work in cemeteries in North America has only been found in this part of North Carolina.

In the mid-eighteenth century, this part of North Carolina was being settled by people from Scotland, Ireland, and Germany. The Germans are attributed to the craftsmanship seen in these stones.

This cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.