A historically Black cemetery where formerly enslaved people are believed to be buried will be honored by Smyrna officials Sunday.
Mount Zion Cemetery, in disrepair for years, was overgrown with grass, weeds and trees. After taking possession of the burial site in 2019, Smyrna invested $100,000 to restore the grounds and headstones, Councilman Travis Lindley said during a Friday phone call with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A rededication ceremony and tour of the site will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, 1514 Hawthorne Ave. SE in Smyrna.
The public is invited. The event includes a welcome by Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton, and remarks by Lindley on restoration efforts.
The cemetery is located near two historically Black communities — Rose Garden and Davenport Town — and was part of Old Mount Zion Baptist Church. The congregation started meeting in 1877, according to the city, but there are no records to show when the church or cemetery was constructed.
Jennifer Eldredge, manager of the Smyrna History Museum, said at least 10 people buried in the cemetery are thought to have been slaves.
In total, 177 burial marked and unmarked graves, were confirmed through ground penetrating radar, said Eldredge, who will lead the cemetery tour. About 40 graves are believed to be infants and young children.
Mount Zion Baptist moved to its current location at 2642 Hawthorne Avenue in 1949. Over the years, two other congregations moved into the original church building which burned in a 2007 fire.
“Upkeep of the cemetery was left to the distanced Mount Zion congregation and the descendent families,” Smyrna Community Relations Director Jennifer Bennett said via email. “...The grounds eventually fell to the elements of nature and time.”
Rose Garden resident Lisa Castleberry said nearby homeowners, members of the church and descendants of people buried in the cemetery cleaned and spruced up the grounds for years but they became elderly and there was no one to take over the task.
A developer who bought the cemetery land and surrounding property gifted the burial grounds to the city in 2019, Lindley said.
In restoring the cemetery, Smyrna public works cleared overgrowth using hand-held tools to avoid damage to grave markers, Bennett said. Heavier equipment was necessary for removing trees, she said.
Ashley Shares, director of preservation at Historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, restored headstones. Eldredge said the oldest confirmed date of death was 1903 and the latest burial date was 1971.
Castleberry, who will speak during the ceremony Sunday, said the city’s caretaking of the cemetery shows officials value the Black community.
“It means that Black lives do matter,” she said. “I never thought I’d see that in Smyrna. I think our community will be very proud.”
About the Author
