Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Founded on two acres (8,000 m²) in about the year 1822, it now encompasses nearly 100 acres (400,000 m²) and contains over 80,000 burials. Designated a historic landmark by the Alabama Historical Association in 1962, its occupants include five governors of Alabama, five United States senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, and numerous other figures of local, state, and national note. It is located east of the Twickenham Historic District
Twickenham Historic District
Twickenham Historic District was the first historic district designated in Huntsville, Alabama, USA. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1973. The name derives from an early name for the town of Huntsville, named after Twickenham, England, by LeRoy Pope...
.
History
The original two acres (8,000 m²) of the cemetery were sold to the city of Huntsville on September 14, 1822 by planter LeRoy PopeLeRoy Pope
LeRoy Pope was a prominent American planter, lawyer, and early settler of Madison County, Alabama. He purchased much of the land on which downtown Huntsville, Alabama now stands, and for his role in the establishment and early growth of that city, has been called the "Father of Huntsville." -Early...
. Though early burials are difficult to document, there is substantial evidence that the land had been in use as a cemetery for some time prior to its official establishment. The oldest grave with marker intact is that of Mary Frances Atwood, infant daughter of William and Martha Caroline Atwood, who died September 17, 1820. Headstones are sparse in the oldest section, many having decayed over time and been discarded, and it is likely that many unmarked graves share a similarly early date.
The cemetery was expanded at some point after 1849 to include the two acres (8,000 m²) on which LeRoy Pope and his family were buried. There are some indications that this land, which had until then remained a part of the Pope estate, may already have been in use as a burial ground. Pope's son-in-law John Williams Walker
John Williams Walker
John Williams Walker was an American politician, who served as the Democratic-Republican United States senator from the state of Alabama, the first senator elected by that state....
had died in 1823, Pope's wife Judith in 1827, and Pope himself in 1844. It is known that the Popes maintained a private cemetery on their plantation, but it is unclear whether the Pope graves were moved to their present location following the sale of the Pope estate in 1849, or whether this property in fact contained the existing Pope cemetery. Several other monuments in this section suggest its use at least as early as 1844.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Maple Hill Cemetery became the burial site of 187 unknown Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
soldiers and an uncertain number of Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
soldiers. Most of the Confederate soldiers, buried in the Confederate section on the north side of the cemetery, died early in the war of disease or accidents while training in camps close to Huntsville. Numerous Union troops who died during the federal occupation of Huntsville are believed to have been buried in unmarked graves throughout the oldest section of the cemetery. Most of these graves were apparently moved to Chattanooga National Cemetery
Chattanooga National Cemetery
Chattanooga National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the center of the city of Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee...
in 1867.
In 1873, the cemetery was further expanded through the purchase from James J. Donegan of 12.45 acres (50,380 m²) that had previously been a part of the Pope estate. In this new addition were two sections consecrated for religious congregations, a Hebrew burial ground and a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
burial ground.
To accommodate increasing growth in Huntsville because of industrialization, the city purchased an additional 3.2 acres (13,000 m²) in 1881 from Morris and Henrietta Bernstein. In 1903, it purchased another 6.14 acres (24,800 m²) from Mary Y. McClelland of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
In 1901, the cemetery, which had until then been called only "the burying ground," was given its official name.
Automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
magnate Albert Russel Erskine
Albert Russel Erskine
Albert Russel Erskine was an American businessman. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, he worked in a number of manufacturing industries before joining the Studebaker motor car manufacturing firm in 1911...
made a substantial gift to cemetery in 1918 of about 12 acres (49,000 m²). Erskine, a descendant of several prominent Huntsvillians buried in the cemetery, had acquired the land from a neighboring residential development, probably prompted by the death of his mother in 1915. On a circular plot in the center of the addition, Erskine constructed an imposing mausoleum to contain the remains of his parents, his wife, and himself. The cemetery's stone entranceway and the wide road proceeding from it to the mausoleum were also funded by Erskine. Three additional properties, purchased in 1920, completed the Erskine Addition.
The purchase from James B. Stevens in 1924 of 59 acres (240,000 m²) on the east of the cemetery more than tripled its size and gave it its present shape.
In 1987, a private company, Maple Hill Cemetery, Inc., developed a cemetery adjacent to the cemetery proper on land formerly used by the city of Huntsville for athletic fields.
In 2007, the city owned part of the cemetery had virtually run out of available plots and attempted to enlarge the cemetery by first removing playground equipment and picnic tables of an adjoining city park with a plan to create burial plots on the park land. This was met with extreme resistance from residents in nearby neighborhoods. The public outcry of city actions without the proper due process was enough to stop the encroachment into the park and neighborhoods.
The Huntsville Meridian
The Huntsville MeridianHuntsville Meridian
The Huntsville Meridian begins on the northern boundary of Alabama, in latitude 34° 59' north, longitude 86° 34' 45" west from Greenwich, extends south to latitude 33° 06' 20" north, and governs the surveys in the northern district of Alabama....
intersects Maple Hill Cemetery. Plotted in 1807 by surveyor Thomas Freeman, it is the longitudinal line from which all land in North Alabama
North Alabama
North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, generally considered to include 12 counties: Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston, with a combined population of 958,247, or 20.84% of the state's population as...
was surveyed. The tallest monument in the cemetery was erected on the meridian by another surveyor, Richard W. Anderson, "in memory of deceased relatives and to perpetuate the Huntsville Meridian."
Governors of Alabama
- Thomas BibbThomas BibbThomas Bibb was the second Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1820 to 1821. He was born in Amelia County, Virginia in 1783. He was president of the Alabama Senate when his brother, Governor William Wyatt Bibb, died in office on July 10, 1820, and took over as governor for the remainder of...
(1782–1839), served 1820 to 1821. - Clement Comer ClayClement Comer ClayClement Comer Clay was the eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1835 to 1837.Clay was born in Halifax County, Virginia. His father, William Clay, was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who moved to Grainger County, Tennessee, after the war. Clay attended public schools and...
(1789–1866), served 1835 to 1837; formerly a U.S. representative; later a U.S. senator. - Reuben ChapmanReuben ChapmanReuben Chapman was an American lawyer and politician. Born in 1799 in Bowling Green, Virginia, he represented Alabama in the U.S. House from 1835 to 1847 and served as the 13th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1847 to 1849. He died in Huntsville, Alabama in 1882.-External links:**...
(1799–1882), served 1847 to 1849; formerly a U.S. representative. - Robert M. PattonRobert M. PattonRobert Miller Patton was the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1865 to 1867.Patton was born July 10, 1809, in Russell County, Virginia. His family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, in 1818 where Patton attended Green Academy. Patton apprenticed in the family cotton mill founded by his...
(1809–1885), served 1865 to 1868. - David P. LewisDavid P. LewisDavid Peter Lewis was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1872 to 1874. After his term was over, a Republican would not be elected Governor of Alabama for 119 years.He had previously been a delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress in 1861. In 1868 he was a delegate to the...
(1820–1884), served 1872 to 1874.
United States senators
- John Williams WalkerJohn Williams WalkerJohn Williams Walker was an American politician, who served as the Democratic-Republican United States senator from the state of Alabama, the first senator elected by that state....
(1783–1823), Alabama's first senator, served 1819 to 1822. - Clement Comer ClayClement Comer ClayClement Comer Clay was the eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1835 to 1837.Clay was born in Halifax County, Virginia. His father, William Clay, was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who moved to Grainger County, Tennessee, after the war. Clay attended public schools and...
(1789–1866), served 1837 to 1841; formerly a governor and U.S. representative. - Jeremiah ClemensJeremiah ClemensJeremiah Clemens was a U.S. senator and novelist from the state of Alabama. He was elected to fill the vacancy left by the death of Dixon Hall Lewis, and served from November 30, 1849 to March 3, 1853...
(1814–1865), served 1849 to 1853. - Clement Claiborne ClayClement Claiborne ClayClement Claiborne Clay was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama from 1853 to 1861, and a C.S.A. senator from the Alabama from 1861 to 1863...
(1816–1882), served 1853 to 1861; later a Confederate States senator. - John J. Sparkman (1899–1985), served 1949 to 1979.
United States representatives
- Clement Comer ClayClement Comer ClayClement Comer Clay was the eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1835 to 1837.Clay was born in Halifax County, Virginia. His father, William Clay, was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who moved to Grainger County, Tennessee, after the war. Clay attended public schools and...
(1789–1866), served 1829 to 1835; later a governor and U.S. senator. - Reuben ChapmanReuben ChapmanReuben Chapman was an American lawyer and politician. Born in 1799 in Bowling Green, Virginia, he represented Alabama in the U.S. House from 1835 to 1847 and served as the 13th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1847 to 1849. He died in Huntsville, Alabama in 1882.-External links:**...
(1799–1882), served 1835 to 1847; later a governor. - Peter Myndert DoxPeter Myndert DoxPeter Myndert Dox was an American politician who served the state of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1869 and 1873. He was born in Geneva, Ontario County, New York on September 11, 1813, and graduated from Hobart College at Geneva in 1833. He studied law, was admitted to the...
(1813–1891), served 1869 to 1873. - Joseph Humphrey SlossJoseph Humphrey SlossJoseph Humphrey Sloss was an American politician who served the state of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1871 and 1875. He was born in Somerville, Morgan County, Alabama on October 12, 1826. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and entered practice in St. Louis, Missouri...
(1826–1911), served 1871 to 1875. - William Willis GarthWilliam Willis GarthWilliam Willis Garth was an American politician. He served as a representative of the Alabama 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1877 and 1879....
(1828–1912), served 1877 to 1879. - William M. LoweWilliam M. LoweWilliam Manning Lowe was an American politician who served the state of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1879 and 1881 and in 1882. He was born on June 12, 1842 in Huntsville, Alabama. He attended the Wesleyan University at Florence, Alabama and the University of Virginia...
(1842–1882), served 1879 to 1881 and 1882. - William N. RichardsonWilliam N. RichardsonWilliam Richardson was an American politician and lawyer. Born in Athens, Limestone County, Alabama to William Richardson and Anne Davis, Richardson served in the Civil War, fighting for the Confederacy.-Civil War:...
(1839–1914), served 1900 to 1914. - Jabez LeftwichJabez LeftwichJabez Leftwich was an American politician who served the state of Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1821 and 1825. He was born in Bedford County, Virginia near Liberty on September 22, 1765. Between 1801 and 1809, he served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates...
(1765–1855), served the state of VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
1821 to 1825. - Addison WhiteAddison WhiteAddison White was an American politician who served the state of Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives between 1851 and 1853. He was a cousin of Kentucky Congressman John White.-Biography:...
(1824–1909), served the state of KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
1851 to 1853. - Lowndes Henry DavisLowndes Henry DavisLowndes Henry Davis was an American politician who served the state of Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1879 and 1885. He was born on December 13, 1836 in Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri. He graduated from Yale College in 1860, where he was a member of Skull and...
(1836–1920), served the state of MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
1879 to 1885.
Confederate leaders
- Clement Claiborne ClayClement Claiborne ClayClement Claiborne Clay was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama from 1853 to 1861, and a C.S.A. senator from the Alabama from 1861 to 1863...
(1816–1882), Confederate States senator, 1862 to 1864; formerly a U.S. senator. - Nicholas Davis, Jr.Nicholas Davis, Jr.Nicholas Davis, Jr. was a prominent Confederate politician. He was born in Limestone County, Alabama and served in the legislature in 1851. He represented the state in the second through fifth sessions of the Provisional Confederate Congress from 1861 to 1862....
(1825–1875), delegate to Alabama Secession Convention; deputy to Provisional Confederate CongressProvisional Confederate CongressThe Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag...
, April 1861 to 1862; lieutenant colonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in Confederate States ArmyConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. - Thomas FearnThomas FearnThomas Fearn was a prominent Confederate politician. He was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and later moved to Alabama. He served in the United States Army in the War of 1812 and as a member of the Alabama state legislature. He was the father-in-law of William Taylor Sullivan Barry...
(1789–1863), deputy to Provisional Confederate Congress (resigned after first session). - David P. LewisDavid P. LewisDavid Peter Lewis was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1872 to 1874. After his term was over, a Republican would not be elected Governor of Alabama for 119 years.He had previously been a delegate to the Confederate Provisional Congress in 1861. In 1868 he was a delegate to the...
(1820–1884), deputy to Provisional Confederate Congress (resigned after first session); later governor. - LeRoy Pope WalkerLeRoy Pope WalkerLeRoy Pope Walker was the first Confederate States Secretary of War.-Early life and career:Walker was born near Huntsville, Alabama in 1817, the son of John Williams Walker and Matilda Pope, and a grandson of LeRoy Pope. He was educated by private tutors, then attended universities in Alabama and...
(1817–1884), first Confederate States secretary of war, 1861; also a Confederate brigadier general. - Richard Wilde WalkerRichard Wilde WalkerRichard Wilde Walker was a prominent Confederate States of America politician.Walker was born and died in Huntsville, Alabama. He was the son of John Williams Walker, the brother of Percy Walker and LeRoy Pope Walker, and father of Richard Wilde Walker, Jr. Richard Walker, Sr...
(1823–1874), deputy to Provisional Confederate Congress, 1861 to 1862; Confederate States senator, 1864 to 1865.
Military figures
- William T. H. BrooksWilliam T. H. BrooksWilliam Thomas Harbaugh Brooks was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
(1821–1870), UnionUnion ArmyThe Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
brigadier generalBrigadier GeneralBrigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. - Gilbert M. L. JohnsonGilbert M. L. JohnsonGilbert Marquis LaFayette Johnson was an officer in the Union Army from Indiana during the American Civil War, reaching the rank of brevet brigadier general....
(1837–1871), Union brevet brigadier general. - Egbert J. Jones (d. 1861), colonel of the 4th Alabama Infantry Regiment, CSAConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
, killed in the First Battle of Manassas. - LeRoy Pope WalkerLeRoy Pope WalkerLeRoy Pope Walker was the first Confederate States Secretary of War.-Early life and career:Walker was born near Huntsville, Alabama in 1817, the son of John Williams Walker and Matilda Pope, and a grandson of LeRoy Pope. He was educated by private tutors, then attended universities in Alabama and...
(1817–1884), Confederate brigadier general; formerly Confederate secretary of war.
Other people
- Virginia Clay-CloptonVirginia Clay-CloptonVirginia Clay-Clopton was an American memoirist and political hostess. She was also known as Virginia Tunstall, Virginia Clay, and Mrs. Clement Claiborne Clay.-Biography:...
(1823–1915), wife of Clement Claiborne ClayClement Claiborne ClayClement Claiborne Clay was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama from 1853 to 1861, and a C.S.A. senator from the Alabama from 1861 to 1863...
, memoirist and socialite. - Albert Russel ErskineAlbert Russel ErskineAlbert Russel Erskine was an American businessman. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, he worked in a number of manufacturing industries before joining the Studebaker motor car manufacturing firm in 1911...
(1871–1933), automobile magnate and president of Studebaker MotorsStudebakerStudebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
. - Thomas Freeman (d. 1821), United States Surveyor General.
- LeRoy PopeLeRoy PopeLeRoy Pope was a prominent American planter, lawyer, and early settler of Madison County, Alabama. He purchased much of the land on which downtown Huntsville, Alabama now stands, and for his role in the establishment and early growth of that city, has been called the "Father of Huntsville." -Early...
(1765–1844), early planter and "Father of Huntsville."