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History of the Gilbert Cemetary
53 headstones of slaves remain the Gilbert Cemetery, which is located near I-75 and and the Cleveland Avenue exit ramp. These are most likely only a fraction of the slaves buried in the cemetary
“The property once belonged to plantation owner Jeremiah Gilbert, who in 1861 set aside a portion for a cemetery for slaves and their family members, according to a federal court opinion. In the 1950s, the cemetery was destroyed by persons unknown, according to a historic marker, and by the early 198os, it was holding up a major DOT project on I-75 and the Cleveland Avenue ramps.” – quoted from the AJC article Gone and Almost Forgotten.
The historical marker reads:In Memory of Those Here Laid to Rest
This monument marks the site of the Gilbert Cemetery, originally a one-acre plot set aside by Jerimiah S. Gilbert for burials. He acquired the land in 1861 from his father. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries use of these grounds expanded to provide burial for members of various churches and fraternal lodges of the neighboring black community. These included the Sterling Chapel (founded in 1885 and later merged with Dodd United Methodist Church in 1973 to form the Dodd-Sterling United Methodist Church), Travelers` Rest Baptist Church, Union Baptist Church, and the Queen of the South Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons.
This memorial is dedicated to the memory of those individuals, known and unknown, here interred. Among those buried here, identified by family, friends, and private records are those whose names are listed on the central monument. Pastors who are known to have participated in services at Gilbert Cemetery include: A. M. Bridges; J. B. Greer; C. d. Johnson, D. D.; J. F. Shumake; B. B. Carter; T. W. Hobbs; E. D. Lumpkin; C. S. Stinson; R. Wilborn.
Gilbert Cemetery was destroyed by unknown persons in the late 1950`s. The Memorial Cemetery has been made possible through efforts of concerned local residents, local clergy, the Fulton County Superior Court, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and others, so that those laid to rest here would not be forgotten.
060-199 1983
Read more about the history of the Gilbert Cemetery at http://www.ajc.com/news/gone-and-almost-forgotten-1447979.html
