Church Street Graveyard
| Church Street Graveyard | |
|---|---|
 A view within Church Street Graveyard. | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1819 |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Owned by | City of Mobile |
| Size | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Find a Grave | Church Street Graveyard |
Church Street Graveyard is a historic city cemetery located in Mobile, Alabama. The cemetery is situated on 4 acres (1.6 ha) and is surrounded by a brick wall that dates back to 1830.[1] At the time the cemetery was established, it lay about a half-mile away from most development, but it is now considered to be downtown.[1]
History
[edit]Church Street Graveyard was founded in 1819, replacing Campo Santo, located at the site of the present Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as the city's main place of burial.[1] The new cemetery was not officially acquired from local landowner William E. Kennedy by the city of Mobile until a year later, in 1820.[1] Mobile's city officials divided the cemetery into three sections. The northeastern third was designated for Catholics, the southeastern third for Protestants, and the remaining western portion was a "graveyard for strangers". Masons, Odd Fellows, veterans, and the indigent incidentally came to be interred in this western section.[1] The cemetery was closed to burial in 1898, though a few modern burials have taken place by special city resolution.[1]
Notable monuments and interments
[edit]Many of the gravestones at Church Street Graveyard are significant examples of stone carving work done in New England and the Gulf Coast in the early 19th century.[2] The cemetery also contains early examples of wrought and cast iron work.[1]
The more notable interments include:
- Charles R.S. Boyington, convicted of the murder of Nathaniel Frost. Reportedly buried beneath the Boyington Oak just outside the graveyard walls.[3][4]
- Joe Cain, important figure in the history of Mardi Gras in the city.[1]
- Colonel Jean-Jerome Cluis, a Napoleonic refugee and member of the ill-fated Vine and Olive Colony.[1]
- Dominique Louis Dolive, an early French settler.[1]
- Don Miguel Eslava, an early Spanish official.[1]
- Gen. Edmund Pendleton Gaines, a hero of the War of 1812.[1]
- Mary Josephine Hollinger, a native of British colonial Mobile.[1]
- James Roper, builder of Oakleigh.[1]
- Eugene Walter, actor and author.[1]
- Julian Lee Rayford, author and folklorist.[5]
Gallery
[edit]-
A tomb in Church Street Graveyard.
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Grave of Joe Cain, founder of modern Mardi Gras.
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An example of iron work in Church Street Graveyard.
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A sculptural tombstone in Church Street Graveyard.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Sledge, John (April 2002). "Church Street Graveyard". The Alabama Review. 55: 96–105.
- ^ "Church Street Graveyard". City of Mobile. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ Windham, Kathryn Tucker (1982). Jeffrey's Latest 13: More Alabama Ghosts. Huntsville, Alabama: Strode Publishers. pp. 21–32. ISBN 0-8173-0380-4.
- ^ Borland, Timothy (June 27, 2011). "Mobile Tree Hugger, Part II: The Legend Of The Charles Boyington Oak". Mobile Bay Magazine. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ "This Goodly Land, Alabama's Literary Landscape". Alabama Center for the Book and Auburn University. Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
