Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, GA

Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville, Georgia

Alta Vista “high view” in Spanish, and the site of this cemetery in Gainesville, Georgia offers that in all directions. This cemetery, which contains the graves of many of Gainesville's best know citizens, is perhaps best known for the grave and memorial of Civil War general James Longstreet, one of Lee's closest lieutenants.

More on Alta Vista here.

Marietta City Cemetery - Marietta, GA

Marietta City Cemetery, established in 1831, is one of the oldest in the Atlanta metro area. This shot was taken as dark was fast approaching. A cemetery in the winter after sunset - a natural for B&W.

Decatur - Decatur, GA

James McNeil, Colonel, GA Troops, Rev War. Died in 1853 at age 96.

The Historical Marker in Decatur Cemetery claims that it is the oldest known public burial ground in metro Atlanta. I've read the same thing about Utoy in East Point. Without definitive burial records it'll be hard to tell for sure. The "old" section of Decatur is supposed to predate the founding of the City of Decatur in 1823. Regardless, it does contain several gravesites of veterans of the American Revolution.

North Burial Ground - Providence, RI

North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island

I see so many photos overdone with HDR processing, to the point that they look like cartoons. Of course that is the prerogative of the photographer. Experimenting in the other direction seems appropriate for graveyard photographs. In this photo, taken at the North Burial Ground in Providence, I desaturated the image and flattened out the contrast.

Rose Hill - Macon GA

Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, Georgia

I'd read that anyone who visits Rose Hill will eventually be stopped and asked for directions to the graves of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. These two original members of the Allman Brothers band, who died in motorcycle crashes within a year of each other in 1971 and 1972, are buried side by side in Rose Hill. Sure enough, on the day I visited I was stopped twice by people looking for the gravesite. Rose Hill is justly famous for more reasons than the Allman Brothers. It is Macon's largest and oldest cemetery, laid out over 65 acres on a bluff overlooking the Ocmulgee River. The bluff itself is split into several ridges and the varied topography creates many interesting viewpoints throughout the site.

Arlington National Cemetery

Spanish American War Section



Arlington National was established in 1864 as a burying ground for the thousands of Civil War casualties that were filling up cemeteries everywhere. Today it stands as perhaps the most famous military cemetery anywhere in the world. It is a challenge to do this place justice. Perhaps the most sacred space in the America and also one of the most photographed, it is hard to say anything original and impossible to treat it with too much respect.

Veterans Day Salute

Marietta National Cemetery



While Memorial Day is meant to honor all those who died in service to their country, Veterans Day is meant to honor all our veterans, both living and dead, who served their country in war or peacetime. It was originally called Armistice Day and celebrated on November 11th, the anniversary of the end of World War I in 1919.

Our National Cemetery system was originally created during the Civil War for the burial of those killed in that conflict. These cemeteries now a burial place for all veterans and their immediate family. These hallowed grounds are some of the most beautiful landscape designs in America.

Arlington Memorial - Sandy Springs GA

Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs is less than 100 years old, young compared to most of the other grounds in this blog. Unlike the historic Rural cemeteries, this more modern Lawn or Memorial Park cemetery is more orderly, with fewer larger grave markers. It has, however, an orientation and terrain that makes for some great photo locations, and I've returned to it many times at dusk to capture the light there.

Christ Church Churchyard - Greenville SC

One of many CSA Iron Crosses at Christ Church



In downtown Greenville, South Carolina, you will find two fine old cemeteries within a few blocks of each other - Springwood and Christ Church. The churchyard of Christ Church Episcopal completely surrounds the church and occupies nearly the entire grounds. The first graves date to 1835 and are now underneath the current church building. The churchyard is the final resting place for many Confederate soldiers, as well as political figures from the Civil War era and later.

Scribner Cemetery - Georgia

The Scribner Family cemetery is located on what is now park land in Georgia. According to state law, unless the cemetery has been declared abandoned, the family retains ownership of the individual graves. This is one of thousands of such family cemeteries in Georgia, standing as mute testament to the days when much of the population lived in rural farming areas and each family buried their dead on their own land.

The obelisk that dominates the small plot has four names inscribed on it. Daniel Scribner, MD, died in 1863 at the age of 41. A Civil War casualty? His wife Sarah died in 1883 at age 47. Their two sons, Arthur and Walter, each died before they were two. Sadly, vandalism and grave robbing are problems with plots like these in remote locations.