Memorial Day 2012

No better place to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice than Arlington National Cemetery.

Cross Roads Cemetery, Sandy Springs, Georgia

Joseph Pittman, 1848-1946, Cross Roads Primitive Baptist Chuch Cemetery

Joseph Pittman fought in the Civil War and lived to see the end of the Second World War and the dropping of the atomic bomb.

Cross Roads Cemetery is located next to the Crossroads Atlanta Primitive Baptist Church, but is not officially associated with the chuch. They both sit on a corner of the intersection of Mount Vernon Highway, Powers  Ferry Road and Dupree Drive. You can locate on Bing Maps and Google Maps.

Learn more about Historic Cross Roads Cemetery here.

Oak Dale Baptist Churchyard, Nokesville, Virginia

Churchyard at Oak Dale Baptist Church, Nokesville, Virginia

While most of the photographs in this blog were taken at larger urban cemeteries, I often run across rural cemeteries like this one that have their own simple beauty. Most of these cemeteries are either family plots - sometimes abandoned, but usually carefully cared for by the family, or churchyards like this one. As is often the case in the south there are a few Confederate soldiers' graves in even the smallest yards.

Maxwell Cemetery, Alpharetta, GA

Maxwell Cemetery

While Civil War Veterans' graves are common in cemeteries throughout Georgia, the graves of Revolutionary War Veterans are not common at all. It is always interesting to run across one. Maxwell is a small private cemetery hidden in plan view between office parks and apartments in Alpharetta. These two massive oaks could easily be as old as the cemetery - over 150 years.

John Maxwell, Georgia Volunteer, Soldier of the American Revolution

This is the grave of John Maxwell, 1763-1840, a volunteer at the age of 14. After the War John married a sister of Patrick Henry and settled in this area, where he and his wife had nine children. Note the metal tin, knife and the Marine Corp Good Conduct medal someone has placed here. A descendant perhaps, or fellow soldier?

Crest Lawn Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

Crest Lawn is situated on one of the highest spots in the city of Atlanta, and has commanding views east and south towards downtown. This high ground was of natural strategic importance during the Battle of Atlanta, and Union and Confederate troops battled to control these heights.

Several synagogues maintain burial areas at Crest Lawn.

This shot looks down onto Joe Johnston Hill. "Fighting" Joe Johnston commanded the Confederate troops defending Georgia until he was replaced by General Hood shortly before the Battle of Atlanta.

Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, GA

The Henry Grady Vault at Westview Cemetery

Westview Cemetery, in Atlanta, encompassing 585 acres, is the largest cemetery in the Southeastern United States, and one of the largest in the country. It is more than twice the size of Piedmont Park, making it by far the city's largest greenspace. More on Westview here.

Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, GA

Oakland's Potter's Field with the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills buildings in the background.

The Potter's Field at Oakland holds about 7500 of Oakland's 70,000 graves, all unmarked and unsegregated by race or religion. While watching the excellent Public Broadcasting Georgia documentary on Oakland last night I learned that burials in the Potter's Field were recorded and the records still exist. While most of the burials here were of people whose families did not have the means to purchase a plot or gravestone, a number were of people who simply couldn't buy a lot after they sold out in 1884.

The old Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills looms over this section of the cemetery. Jacob Elsas, a German Jewish immigrant, along with his partner Isaac May, began constructing the complex in 1881. The mill closed in 1978. The buildings have since been converted into loft condos. Jacob Elsas is interred in one of Oakland's mausoleums, with a commanding view of the Mill complex.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist, Bartow County, GA

Mount Pleasant Baptist cemetery, Bartow County, Georgia

Important instructions at a self-service cemetery.

Holy Rood Cemetery, Washington DC



Holy Rood, established by Holy Trinity Catholic Church in 1832, sits atop one of the highest points in Washington. Today Holy Rood is owned by Georgetown University, but is suffering from years of neglect and vandalism.

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.