Pine Hill Cemetery - Auburn, AL
Posted by: xptwo
N 32° 36.029 W 085° 28.721
16S E 642759 N 3608019
Pine Hill Cemetery was established in 1837, making it the oldest cemetery in Auburn, Alabama.
Waymark Code: WMHAJ2
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 06/15/2013
Views: 3
According to the historical marker on the grounds, the cemetery covered almost six acres when it was created. The entrance is located on Armstrong Street, near the intersection with Casey Avenue. The cemetery runs along Armstrong, roughly between Miller Avenue and Moore Street. There is a large water tower near the intersection of Armstrong and Moore, just outside the cemetery grounds, that can serve as a landmark for those looking for the cemetery. There are over 1300 graves in this cemetery, according to the Find A Grave web site at (
visit link)
The story of the cemetery can be seen in the text of the marker, which is on the Armstrong Street side near the intersection with Casey Avenue. The text of the marker reads:
Pine Hill
Side 1: Pine Hill was established in 1837 and is the oldest cemetery in Auburn. Judge John J. Harper, Auburn's founder, donated almost six acres to the new town to be used as a community burying ground for white settlers and their slaves. The original part of the cemetery lies to the north and contains the oldest marked grave - 1838. Early cemetery records are non-existent as the fist survey was conducted in the 1950's when over 1,100 marked graves were cataloged. Of this number, only one black grave is identified. A cross section of Auburn Citizens are buried here including University presidents and slaves.
Side 2: In the 1870's a separate black cemetery, Baptist Hill, opened to the southeast. For decades Pine Hill served as the primary burying ground for whites in the area. The city's Confederate marker rises at the rear of the cemetery over the common graves of 98 Texas soldiers who died in a temporary hospital housed in a college building known as "The Main." Pine Hill suffered from vandalism and neglect until 1995 when the Auburn Heritage Association launched a restoration of the cemetery. It was placed on the Alabama Register in 1978 and is owned and maintained by the City of Auburn.
Erected by the Auburn Heritage Association
and Historic Chattahoochee Commission
1995