Q: There used to be a cemetery in a parking lot of a mall somewhere in DeKalb County. Is it still there? If so, where is it located?
A: The mall is no longer a mall, but the cemetery still stands, a stone tribute to one of DeKalb County's first families. James Crowley moved to the area in the early 1800s, and for years his descendents owned the land that is now around the hectic intersection of Memorial and Columbia drives. As some folks did back then, they buried their family members and others on their land, and it's reported that 11 people eventually found eternal residence in the cemetery. The land and its cemetery were undisturbed through many years until suburbia finally arrived in the area in the 1950s and early '60s. Many acres were sold and plans for Columbia Mall were unveiled, but instead of moving the graves, the developer leveled the land around the cemetery and built a stone mausoleum-type building. The graves were left on top of the structure and became a local oddity through the lifetimes of both Columbia and Avondale – as it later was renamed — malls. Demolition of the mall building made way for a Walmart and a NAPA store, but the graves still remain. The mausoleum was a part of the mall parking lot, but a landscaped area now surrounds it, making it tougher to spot between the two businesses.
Q: A recent obituary for Nick Olympiadis stated he was a boss at Zesto on Roswell Road in the 1960s. I’m an Atlanta native and don’t recall exactly where this Zesto was. Any info is appreciated.
—Margaret McDaniel, Marietta
A: That Zesto – the chain has been around Atlanta since 1949 — was at 3119 Roswell Road, which is at the intersection of Sardis Way. Lee Livaditis, who worked there weekends and summers when he was in high school and now is the general manager of Zesto, told me in an email that location closed in 1967. If you can't find the old Zesto building, there's now a Bank of America on that corner.
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