Historic Decatur Cemetery

Decatur Cemetery, the oldest known publicly owned burial ground in metro Atlanta, is believed to predate the city’s 1823 incorporation. Its first written record is an 1832 act of legislature providing “Commissioners for the Decatur Burial Ground.” Expanded many times, the cemetery comprises 58 acres with over 20,000 grave sites. Its appearance dates from an 1881 formal landscaping plan that included a well house, wrought iron fencing, and architectural details of Stone Mountain granite. The 7.5 acre “Old Cemetery” contains most 19th century interments and the historic African-American section. Its monuments commemorate residents of all social strata and ethnic origins, as well as veterans of every American war. Those buried here include Col. Milton A. Chandler, legislator and congressman; Dr. Tomas Holley Chivers, physician and poet; Mary A. H. Gay, author of Life in Dixie During the War; the Hon. Charles Murphey, legislator, Congressman, and delegate to the Secession Convention; Col. George Washington Scott, founder of Agnes Scott College; Benjamin F. Swanton, entrepreneur and builder of the Swanton House; and many others who shaped the history of the community. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Decatur, Georgia · United States