Advocates begin process to include South View Cemetery on Historic Places list
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Burial plots at South View Cemetery. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios
City leaders and preservation advocates are embarking on a plan to get Atlanta's South View Cemetery placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Why it matters: The cemetery, which got its charter in the late 1800s, was a place where Black people could bury their loved ones in an honorable and dignified manner.
- If approved, South View would join Atlanta's two other famous cemeteries — Westview and Oakland — on the register.
- A kickoff meeting with stakeholders was held earlier this month. The Atlanta Preservation Center will oversee the application process.
What they're saying: The initial legwork of the effort involves researching the cemetery's history and the people buried there, and documenting the original parcels, said David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center.
- Mitchell told Axios that getting the cemetery on the register is a "big deal" because people who are buried there were important to Atlanta's history, including Jesse B. Blayton Sr., who founded WERD, the first AM radio station in the country to be owned and operated by Black people.
- "The story of America is there," he said. "It isn't just Black America. It's America and it's there."
What they're saying: Council member Jason Winston told Axios that the application process is expected to take about two years.
- South View Cemetery turns 140 years old in 2026, so he hopes the timing will allow the institution to "celebrate their 140th with a listing on the National Registry of Historic Places."
How it works: The National Register, a program of the National Park Service, includes listings of properties and "historic places worthy of preservation," its website states.
- To be eligible, properties should generally be at least 50 years old, look the way they did in the past, and possess some historic significance.
Zoom in: South View Cemetery was chartered in 1886 by nine Black businessmen and is now the resting place for more than 90,000 people on over 100 acres of land, according to its website.
- Several famous Black Atlantans are also buried there, including Congressman John Lewis, Hank Aaron, Grace Towns Hamilton, Julian Bond, and Alonzo Herndon.
The bottom line: Winston told Axios it's important for the cemetery to be placed on the register because it was chartered at a time when Black people were "tired of being disrespected" when they wanted to bury their family members.
- The council member pointed to the "very dark history" of Oakland Cemetery where the bodies of Black people were dug up and relocated to another area as one example of the discrimination families faced when trying to lay their loved ones to rest.
- "This is just about preserving the history of all the people that are there so that they know the true legacy of those who are buried there," he said.