Greenwood Cemetery

WALKING TOUR

We invite you to step back in time and take a stroll through our hallowed green space.

The city cemetery.

The original map of the City of Jackson was completed in 1822, and the General Assembly authorized state officials to establish a place for a cemetery in January 1823. The original "old graveyard" was comprised of 6 acres but grew to about 23 acres in the mid-19th century, with the addition of the "new cemetery" lots. It was known then as the "city cemetery."

Final resting place.

In Greenwood Cemetery rest 8 Mississippi governors, 14 Jackson mayors, many clergymen, physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives, lawyers, judges, state officials, teachers, businesspeople, soldiers, paupers, husbands, wives, and children. A walk through the cemetery is a stroll through history, all enhanced by funerary sculpture and the natural beauty of trees and flowers, especially the impressive collection of antique roses. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Mississippi Landmark.

For all city residents.

Every resident of Jackson, black or white, and regardless of religion or social standing, was entitled to purchase a lot in the city cemetery. Unfortunately, most official records of burials have vanished. Newspaper accounts have been one of the most valuable sources of information about persons buried in the cemetery. More than 5,000 names and dates, from both marked and unmarked graves, have been recorded on www.findagrave.com, together with many burial location details."

Other city cemeteries.

By the 1890s, the population of the capital city had outgrown the cemetery. Cedarlawn Cemetery was established in west Jackson and designated for white burials only. Elmwood Cemetery and Mt. Olive Cemetery (originally a private cemetery) were established in west Jackson for black citizens. The Jewish Cemetery on North State Street had been established in the 1860s.

New name.

It was the Ladies Auxiliary Cemetery Association that submitted the name "Greenwood Cemetery" to city leaders in 1899, and the name was adopted in 1900. In 1909, the city declared Greenwood Cemetery "full" and stopped selling plots. Burials of both black and white persons continue to this day, however, for those who have family plots. Various iterations of the cemetery association have continued to be involved throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

Greenwood Cemetery Association.

Today is an active nonprofit organization. Tours may be arranged for visitors, and the website offers information about the cemetery and those buried there. Website: www.greenwoodcemeteryjackson.org For more information, e-mail greenwoodcemeteryjackson@gmail.com

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1. Birdie B. Clint	This black child died at age six during the yellow fever epidemic of 1878. A heartbreaking number of infants and children are buried in the cemetery. Old Cem., Sec. 4.
2. Hardy's Receiving Vault	Once a temporary storage for caskets awaiting permanent interment. Hiram K. Hardy started the undertaking business in 1890, and he and his wife and son ran the company at the corner of President and Pascagoula Streets until 1929. Old Cem., Sec. 4.
3. Confederate Burial Ground	Most of the markers say "Unknown Soldier" for those soldiers who died in and near Jackson during the Civil War. Their names are known but not the location of their graves. There are more than 1,200 Confederate soldiers in the cemetery; some who survived combat are in private lots. Old Cem., Sec. 1.
4. Sarah Ann Lemon (1841-1909) and husband George Lemon (1830-1912)	Natives of Ireland, they lie beneath a double marker topped with a life-size marble statue of a woman in repose, holding a floral wreath. Mr. Lemon was a successful merchant and philanthropist in Jackson. Old Cem., Sec. 1.
5. Edmund Richardson (1818-86)	A cotton planter and industrialist who was owner of Mississippi Mills, a cotton and wool textile complex in Wesson. He was a generous benefactor to the cemetery, and his monument, carved in Italy, is the tallest in the cemetery. Sec. 6, Lot 64.
6. Dr. Robert Kells (1819-88) and wife Mary Kells (1830-71)	Dr. Kells was a medical doctor who served as Superintendent of the State Lunatic Asylum. Dr. Kells' elaborately decorated marker is a larger version of his wife's, and the lot is enclosed by a decorative iron fence, as many once were. Sec. 6, Lot 68.
7. Rev. Amos Cleaver	Native of England, he came to Jackson to establish a female academy. He was rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in 1846-47 and served as chaplain of the State Penitentiary which was near the cemetery in his time. He died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1853, and church members erected the Gothic-inspired monument in the Central Avenue Circle as a cenotaph to his memory.
8. Robinson Family Lot	A sculpted stone angel adorns the grave of "Auntie" Martha Lee Robinson (1864-1907), which is adjacent to a tall obelisk erected for her parents. Her father John W. Robinson (1823-81) was a prominent Jackson businessman. He built the Edwards House across from Union Depot and established the first muledrawn street railway on Capitol Street from
9. Mamie Simms (died 1877) and her dog	Legend has it that the dog faithfully attended his young mistress's grave until his own death. Mamie is also buried in the same lot with her mother, Annie Tarpley Simms (1832-1913) and her grandfather, attorney Collin S. Tarpley (1802-60) who served on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Sec. 1, Lot 46.
10. Rev. William Mercer Green (1798-1887) and Rev. W. M. Green II (1876-1942)	Grandfather and grandson were both Episcopal bishops. The Lord's Supper on the younger bishop's monument was carved in Italy. Sec. 1, Lots 19 & 20.
11. A. Smith (1848-1902)	Arnold Smith has a tree stump monument, of which there are many examples in the cemetery, the stump and cut-off limbs symbolizing a life cut short. His is adorned with a lily, symbol of resurrection, and the Masonic square and compass emblem. Sec. 7, Lot 23.
12. Hubert Spengler (1820-1900)	This early immigrant from Alsace, France, married Elizabeth Nahrgang (1825-1904), native of Germany. He operated several businesses at the corner of Capitol and State Streets known as Spengler's Corner, first established by older brother Joseph Spengler who died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1853 and is buried in Section 5. The large family fills the beautiful lot around the elders' tall, cross-topped obelisk. Sec. 2, Lot 72.
13. Eudora Welty (1909-2001)	The acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning author was born a few blocks from the cemetery on North Congress Street. The family later moved to 1119 Pinehurst Place, now a museum open to the public. Ms. Welty rests beside her brother Christian who died as an infant before she was born. Sec. 2, Lot 68.
14. R. H. Henry (1851-1931)	Pioneer journalist who cofounded the Jackson Clarion-Ledger and owned it for 50 years. He and his wife Ida Henry (1852-1928) and daughter Marie Willie Henry (1879-1941) are entombed in a classically inspired stone vault. Sec. 2, Lots 91-92.
15. Mary Farrell Sheehan (1830-91)	Her husband Cornelius "Con" Sheehan (died 1893), a railroad conductor and real estate developer, erected the large monument and statue of a woman standing by a rustic cross. Both Sheehans were born in Ireland. Sec. 2, Lot 97.
16. John McGill (1838-96)	A Republican, John McGill was mayor of Jackson from 1874-88. For 20 years, he was foreman of the Gem Fire Company No. 2, which volunteer body erected his rusticated monument. Mayor McGill rests beside his wife Mary Kerr McGill (1838-66) in the lot enclosed by an iron fence. Sec. 2, Lot 106..

17. Rev. William B. Murrah (1852-1925) and Dr. Lewis T. Fitzhugh (1841-1904)	Methodist Bishop W. B. Murrah was the first president of Millsaps College from 1890- 1910, and Dr. Lewis T. Fitzhugh was the founder and president of Belhaven College from 1894-1904. Rev. Murrah married Beulah Fitzhugh (1864-1951), Dr. Fitzhugh's daughter. Sec. 3, Lot 77.
18. Dr. John F. Hunter (1859-1918)	Physician and druggist, Dr. Hunter was a founder of the Mississippi Baptist Hospital. He was son of the Rev. Dr. John Hunter, Presbyterian minister. He is buried with his two wives in a lot graced by two large camellias. Sec. 3, Lot 50.
19. John H. Odeneal (1839-1902)	A prominent businessman and dairy farmer, Mr. Odeneal and his wife Anna Helm Odeneal (1845-1923) are buried in a massive stone vault erected in 1903. Sec. 3, Lot 70.
20. James Lynch (died 1872)	Elected Mississippi Secretary of State in 1869, he was the first African American elected to a major state office. He was a Methodist Episcopal missionary and minister. His unique monument bears his sculpted portrait. Sec. 4, Lot 4.
21. Hay/Lester Family	A magnificent angel graces the burial plots for attorney Preston Hay (1806- 98) and his daughters Mary Preston Hay Lester (1841-90) and Ellen Hay Moore (1829-90), who gave Poindexter Park to the city of Jackson, and other family members. The angel is cover photo for this brochure. Sec. 4, Lot 9-11.
22. Judge George Adams (1784-1844)	A Virginian by birth, he practiced law in Kentucky, then moved to Mississippi to begin a long history of public service as state attorney general, U. S. Attorney, and U. S. District Court Judge. He had eleven children, of which two were celebrated generals in the Civil War and are buried in this cemetery, along with other descendants. Sec 4, Lot 43.
23. Thomas E. Helm, Jr. (1813-93) and wife Mary Helm (1820-75)	They and some of their children occupy a brick and stone vault topped by a statue of a kneeling woman. Mr. Helm was a prosperous banker. In 1868, the Helms, who were devout Presbyterians, gave money and land at the corner of Lamar and Church Streets to establish the first church for African Americans in Jackson. It became the Mt. Helm Baptist Church, today located a block from the cemetery at Church and Dreyfus Streets. Sec. 5, Lot 20.
24. Rev. Dr. John Hunter (1824-99)	Native of Ireland, he was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson from 1858 until 1897. Within the same burial plot, and enclosed by an ornate iron fence, are monuments for his wife Rosa Hunter (1824-1905), her parents and first husband, and various descendants. Sec. 5, Lot 22..
25. Summer House	This structure, built in the 1870s, has had many uses through the years – a shady resting place, meeting place, sexton's office, and storage for grass-cutting equipment. Sec. 5, Lots 72-73.
26. Dr. Sidney D. Redmond (1871-1948)	The white-painted brick vault was built for Dr. Redmond, a successful African American businessman, physician, druggist, and then lawyer, who resided on nearby Church Street. Also in the vault are his first and second wives Ida Revels Redmond (1873-1914) and Johnnie King Redmond (1887-1958), brother Andrew J. Redmond (1880- 1946), and daughter Linnie Naomi Redmond (1921-26). Another brother, Augustus M. Redmond (1876-1951), pharmacist, is buried in a brick vault in the Old Cemetery, Section 4. Old Cem., Sec. 2.
27. Gov. William F. Winter (1923-2020)	58th governor of Mississippi, beside his wife Elise Varner Winter (1926-2021). Throughout his career, he was a proponent of a sound education system and an ardent supporter of Civil Rights and racial equality. Old Cem., Sec. 2.
28. Gov. Abram Scott (1785-1833)	A South Carolina native and 7th Mississippi governor, he served from 1832 until his death in 1833 in a cholera epidemic. During his term as governor, the legislature appropriated funds for building the state capitol (now Old Capitol Museum) and governor's mansion. His grave marker is the oldest extant monument in the cemetery. Old Cem., Sec. 3.
29. Susan Ross (died 1906)	Her grave is guarded by a large sculpted angel and cross. Born about 1854, she was the wife of Alex Ross, a teamster/drayman. They were African Americans born in Virginia. They had twelve children, most of whom moved north to St. Louis or Chicago. Her husband's burial location is unknown. Old Cem., Sec. 3.
30. Philip Hilzheim (1811-58)	He was a merchant. Several members of the German Hilzheim family were influential in Jackson's business community in the 1840s-50s. The family plot is distinguished by a Gothic arched entrance. Old Cem., Sec 3.