Decatur Cemetery

Historic graveyard in DeKalb County, Georgia, US

United States historic place


Decatur Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district


33°46′56″N 84°17′32″W / 33.78222°N 84.29222°W / 33.78222; -84.29222
Area	54 acres (22 ha)
Built	1826^[2]
Architect	Scott, Robert et al.; Pauley, W.C.
NRHP reference No.	97000459^[1]
Added to NRHP	May 23, 1997

The Decatur Cemetery is a historic graveyard within the city of Decatur, Georgia, United States.

History

The Decatur Cemetery is the oldest burial ground in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and is believed to have been used even before Decatur's 1823 incorporation.

In 1832, an act by the local legislature created “Commissioners for the Decatur Burial Ground.”^[3]^[2] Numerous Civil War veterans were buried in the Decatur Cemetery, mostly in the 8-acre (3.2 ha) area now referred to as "The Old Cemetery". A wooden well house, built in 1881 with lattice and shingle details, has been restored by the Friends of Decatur Cemetery (FODC). The well hole has been sealed over with concrete for safety reasons and the house is now used as a gazebo.^[4]

Today

The Decatur Cemetery has expanded to 54 acres (22 ha)^[5] and contains well over 20,000 graves. A special section exists for burial of cremated remains; the cemetery also contains a pond stocked with fish. This pond is also home to swans, ducks and turtles, and is a stopping place for Canada geese on migration. The cemetery is bordered by a forest of several acres, which borders the Glennwood Estates neighborhood.

Features

The forested ravine east of the cemetery includes a newly completed pedestrian path which winds over a tributary of Peachtree Creek. A small waterfall is just south of the southern bridge.

At the southeast corner of the cemetery there is a grove of giant bamboo, some with trunks over 20 cm in diameter. A short path leads through this grove to the end of the Ponce de Leon Court Historic District.

Notable graves

Lt. Col. Robert Augustus Alston (1832-1879); state legislator and journalist, owner of Meadow Nook^[6]
Emily Verdery Battey (1826—1912); journalist
Col. Milton A. Candler (1837–1909); state senator and U.S. Congressman^[3]^[7]
Dr Thomas Holley Chivers (1806–1858); physician and poet^[3]^[7]^[6]
Mary Ann Harris Gay (1829–1918); author of Life in Dixie During the War^[3]^[7]^[6]
William S. Howard (1875 – August 1, 1953) U.S. Congressman
Mary Gregory Jewett (1908 – January 16, 1976), historian and journalist
Rev. Hovie Lister (1926-2001) Gospel musician (The Statesmen Quartet)^[6]
Charles Murphey (1799–1861); U.S. Congressman and a delegate to the Georgia Secession Convention^[3]^[7]^[6]
Robert Ramspeck (1890-1972) U.S. Congressman
Col. George Washington Scott (1829–1903); founder of Agnes Scott College^[3]^[7]^[6]
Andrew Sledd (1870–1939); founding president of the modern University of Florida, and Emory University professor^[8]
Leslie Jasper Steele (1868–1929) Mayor of Decatur, U.S. Congressman
Benjamin F. Swanton (1807–1890) owner of the historic Swanton House^[3]^[7]^[6]
Leila Ross Wilburn (1885–1967) pioneering woman architect^[6]

Gallery

References

^ Thomas, Kenneth H. Jr. (April 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Decatur Cemetery". National Park Service. Retrieved April 22, 2017. With 24 photos from March 1997
^ ^a ^b Thomas 1997, p. 7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "DeKalb County Historical Markers - Historic Decatur Cemetery". GeorgiaInfo - An Online Georgia Almanac. University System of Georgia. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
^ "Friends of Decatur Cemetery". City of Decatur Public Works. Decatur, Georgia. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
^ "Decatur Cemetery". City of Decatur, GA. Decatur, Georgia. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Decatur Cemetery - Lives that Made our City - Walking Tour" (PDF). Decatur, Georgia. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Thomas 1997, p. 17.
^ "Dr. Sledd Paid Final Tribute," The Atlanta Constitution, p. 16A (March 19, 1939). Retrieved November 4, 2015. (subscription required)