In the late 1800’s, during the years of reconstruction following the end of the American Civil War, former slaves and their free-born children began to establish a respectful and dignified way of life for their families throughout the south. 

As the newly-freed Blacks began to build schools to educate their children, hospitals to care for their sick, and businesses to provide goods and services for their communities, they also created a dignified resting place to honor their loved ones.

Blacks had grown tired of the disrespect they were forced to endure in order to bury their family members and friends. They had to enter cemeteries through back gates, and even wade through swamps to conduct funeral services. They were told “If you don’t’ like it, start your own cemetery.” And so they did.

In February 1886, nine courageous Black businessmen including Jacob McKinley, George W. Graham, Robert Grant, Charles H. Morgan, John Render and Albert Watts petitioned the State of Georgia for a charter to establish a cemetery. The charter was granted in April of the same year and the legacy of South-View Cemetery began.

The oldest African-American “non eleemosynary” corporation in the country, South-View Cemetery is the final resting place for over 80,000 African Americans. Many of whom have made significant contributions to American history and the struggle for freedom and peace. Among the many notables are men and women who were scholars, business owners, pastors, professors, military heroes, musicians, athletes, and civil rights activists. This was taken directly from the South-View Cemetery website. You can find more here.

For my first trip, I specifically visited for the graves discussed below but I came away knowing that I would be back time and time again. This cemetery has so much history!

The person buried here is Eldren Bailey. At one time a grave digger, he worked with cement and plaster, and eventually became known for his distinctive style of gravestone artistry. Eldren Bailey’s funerary artwork is found all over the state of Georgia…extensively in Atlanta (including Oakland) and the northern part of the state. South-View has dozens and dozens of his stones, and I was delighted at all the different types of artistry I found within his designs.

His own grave monument (pictured above) is a piece from his larger yard art collection, and many of his other non-cemetery creations, all made with his signature combo of plaster over cement, are in museums nationwide including the High Museum in Atlanta.

Bailey is one of my favorite Georgia outsider/folk artists and I plan on an extensive post about his works soon.

I also wrote an article about some of the cemeteries here in Athens, Ga and I included a section about Eldren Bailey. You can read that here.

Another well-known local buried here is Graham Jackson. He was the subject of an iconic Life Magazine photo where he was shown playing the melody “Goin’ Home” while the funeral train carrying the body of President FDR rolled by…

The tears on his face were for more than just the loss of a president but also for the loss of a dear friend. FDR and Jackson (and Eleanor too!) were close companions, and Jackson visited the president often. So much so that Jackson’s home was modeled after the original Little White House built in Warm Springs, Ga.

Graham Jackson earned the title “entertainer of presidents” due to the fact that he entertained for seven consecutive US Presidents. And on November 30, 1971 Georgia governor Jimmy Carter named Graham W. Jackson the “Official Musician of the State of Georgia.”

He performed at a number of local restaurants and entertainment halls, and was a music teach at a local high school for over 4 decades.

Old photos and more information about Graham Jackson can be found via Atlanta Time Machine. This website is FULL of historic photos and info. 10/10 recommend.

I found a number of interesting graves and imagery, including the haunting carving of the woman in the first/featured photo, that I have no information on. I plan on returning to the cemetery in the next few months to do some more research since there is now a cell phone tour with site map and information. I missed it last time since the office keeps strict hours for tours, etc but I’m 100% sure that the #3 in stone is on the map. But if anyone out there has any knowledge of who/what/when/where then I am all ears.