Maple Hill Cemetery (Helena-West Helena, Arkansas) - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Summary

Maple Hill Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Helena, contains 37.10 acres and is located to the north of the city on the eastern side of Crowley's Ridge. Of these 37.10 acres 28.5 acres are included in the nomination. The boundary encompasses the historic sections of the cemetery in which the contributing features date from 1865 until 1950. Within the historic sections, the most prominent features date from the Victorian to early twentieth-century eras. Bordering the cemetery are Holly Street to the east, a residential neighborhood to the south, Magnolia Cemetery to the west and St. Mary Cemetery to the north. The surrounding cemeteries while historic, do not employ the same use of the landscape, nor do they contain equivalent numbers of high-styled monuments. Located within the nomination boundary is the Helena Confederate Cemetery (NR listed 5/3/96). Section 6 of the cemetery is not included within the nomination boundary, because it contains no burials to date.

Elaboration
Landscape Design

According to a Helena Weekly newspaper article dated 1976,

"Maple Hill cemetery has long been a spot that few tourists miss when visiting the area. The hillside setting, with the fine old magnolia trees extending down to the front gates, and the entranceway all combine to make it a place of beauty."

Drawing from the rural cemetery movement, Maple Hill Cemetery contains designed landscape features that contribute to a park-like atmosphere including the terracing of the hills, a wide variety of trees and other plantings, extensive concrete gutters and stairs, retaining walls, and concrete cemetery furniture. Although the cemetery lacks an actual watercourse, its spectacular views of the Mississippi River fulfill this criterion for rural cemetery design. However Maple Hill Cemetery breaks with the rural cemetery movement by using straight roads in the eastern sections of the cemetery and by keeping a strict grid burial pattern throughout the cemetery.

Entrance Gate and Fence

One enters the cemetery through ornate wrought iron gates attached to large granite posts. Mrs. E. E. Pillow gave the Pillow Memorial Gates, which were dedicated in May 1914. Above the gates is a wrought iron span with the inscription, "MAPLE HILL CEMETERY/ 1865," given in memory of Thomas E. Wooten in 1975. The date 1865 reflects to the founding date of the tract of land rather than the incorporation date of the Maple. Hill Cemetery Company. A cast iron fence encloses the eastern and northern edges of the cemetery. A simple metal fence bounds the southern and western edges of the cemetery.

Roads

According to the Helena Weekly Clarion, 12 May 1869, the arrangement of the terraces and roads are the work of Leon Archias, "who is famous for his taste. Leon Archias is noted in the minutes of the Evergreen Cemetery as Superintendent (a portion of this cemetery became the Maple Hill Cemetery in 1898). The grid streets radiate off the wide central drive, which is concrete and marked with the bronze letters "Hindman Drive" embedded near the entrance. The drive ends at the twenty-seven foot tall obelisk placed in memory of General Thomas G. Hindman, one of Helena's seven Civil War generals. Several of the roads are named for flowers, such as Jasmine, Violet, and Primrose. Other roads are dedicated to prominent individuals in the community such as Doughtie Avenue and Garland Avenue. The original dirt/gravel roads were upgraded to concrete in the 1930s and at a later date Jasmine Road was paved with asphalt.

Grave Markers and Monuments

Maple Hill Cemetery features many outstanding grave markers and monuments that serve as excellent examples of funerary art. With one exception, the tomb markers face east. A revised grid pattern is necessary to compensate for the steep inclines of Crowley's Ridge. There are a wide variety of historic small grave markers found in the cemetery utilizing marble, limestone, and granite. Headstones and slab markers make up the majority of the headstones. Cradles surround many of the headstones. Obelisks, pulpit markers and ledgers are also quite common, as are Woodman of the World markers with their distinctive designs.

Integrity

Maple Hill Cemetery contains approximately 4,252 marked graves. Of these marked graves, 54% date to before 1951 and contribute to the nomination. Also included within the boundaries of the nomination is a small chapel. The chapel maintains its integrity of setting, design, materials, workmanship, location, and association with the cemetery and further contributes to the integrity of the cemetery. Vandalism to the cemetery has been relatively minor and the cemetery is well maintained. The early workmanship of the cemetery is still evident in the landscape design, architecture, and monuments. The location of the Maple Hill Cemetery was once part of a larger cemetery known as the Evergreen Cemetery. The other cemetery (Magnolia Cemetery) formed from the division Evergreen Cemetery was designated for use by African Americans, and therefore the two cemeteries were always treated as separate. Within the nomination's boundary only 46% of the monuments are non-contributing . Most these are small block or plaque markers scattered throughout the cemetery and do not detract from the historic monuments. Section 6 of the cemetery is not included within the nomination boundary, because it contains no burials to date.