Pelham Cemetery has served Pelham’s African American community since the late 19th century, after the community was established in the years following the Civil War by free men who had recently received their freedom. Most early residents were farmers, and agriculture continues to play an important role in the community. The settlement was originally known as Fork of the Creeks because Ash, White Rock, and Richland creeks came together just south of it, though that junction now lies beneath Navarro Mills Lake. The earliest marked burial is Isaac Franklin, who died in 1880, although there may be earlier unmarked graves; another early burial is Elizabeth Allen, who died in 1882, and members of early families including the Caruthers, Porters, and Stanfords are also buried there. The cemetery is divided by a road into western and eastern portions, both containing graves. The Pelham Cemetery Association, established in the late 1930s to care for the site, still maintains this historic burial ground, which continues to serve area residents and reflects a heritage shaped by hardship, from slavery in the 1800s to displacement caused by the construction of nearby Navarro Mills Lake.