Ridge Spring Cemetery, dating to the early 19th century, began as the Watson and Boatwright family cemetery before being enlarged into the town cemetery. Many descendants of Capt. Michael Watson (1726-1782) are buried in its walled section, built about 1850 by Chloe Wimberly Watson, including Sarah Pressley Watson (1885-1959), who directed the Foyer International des Etudiantes in Paris from 1920 to 1959. William H. Scarborough (1812-1871), the leading portrait painter in 19th-century S.C., is also buried here. A native of Tennessee, he came to S.C. in 1836 and settled in Columbia in 1846. His portraits of prominent politicians and others are held in collections including the State House, State Museum, Columbia Museum of Art, and Gibbes Museum of Art. After first being buried in Columbia, his remains were moved to Ridge Spring Cemetery by his widow Miranda when she lived in Ridge Spring.