ATLANTA — A historic Atlanta cemetery founded by formerly enslaved men is receiving statewide recognition for its deep cultural and historical significance.
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South-View Cemetery, located southeast of downtown Atlanta along Jonesboro Road, has officially been added to the Georgia Register of Historic Places.
The designation comes after a statewide review board examined historical records, narratives, and documentation tied to the cemetery’s legacy dating back to the Civil War era.
South-View Cemetery Association President Winifred Watts Hemphill said the recognition is long overdue.
“It feels like we’ve been seen,” Hemphill said. “There are significant people buried here that made impacts on Atlanta’s history and the history of the Southeast.”
Founded in 1886 by six Black men who were born enslaved, South-View Cemetery was created at a time when African Americans were often denied equal burial rights and protections at other cemeteries.
“One reason that burial ground was initiated was African Americans weren’t protected in other cemeteries,” Hemphill said. “This cemetery has always been owned and operated by African Americans.”
Today, more than 80,000 headstones fill the cemetery grounds, telling generations of Black history in Atlanta.
Civil rights icons, community leaders, artists, and athletes are buried there, including Congressman John Lewis and baseball legend Hank Aaron.
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Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Yoakley Mitchell called South-View Cemetery one of the most significant historic sites in the Southeast.
“What you’re seeing is a line in the sand of us saying we do matter, we do care, and we’re going to start representing the things we love,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell also praised the legacy of the people buried there.
“The people buried here were courageous. We need to act like them,” he said.
The new designation helps preserve the cemetery’s history and opens the door for additional protections and funding opportunities.
South-View Cemetery leaders said the next step is a review at the national level. The organization also plans to apply for grants to help preserve and protect the cemetery’s original burial plots for future generations.
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