South View Cemetery wins Georgia Register of Historic Places designation

Driving the news: The Department of Community Affairs informed the cemetery on Friday that it was awarded the state designation.

What they're saying: Winifred Hemphill, president of the South View Cemetery Association, told Axios the organization was thrilled to receive the honor.

• "We feel like we've been seen," Hemphill told Axios. "We were really fortunate that the City Council saw it as a priority, because if they hadn't, we probably still wouldn't have it."

Catch up quick: The Atlanta City Council in 2024 set aside $50,000 to get the application process going for the designation.

• The Atlanta Preservation Center worked with the association on its state application, Hemphill said.
• APC executive director David Y. Mitchell said the state designation honors the many people buried there who had a role in conversations about how America would progress during the 20th century.

Flashback: South View Cemetery was chartered in 1886 by nine Black businessmen and is now the resting place for more than 70,000 people on over 100 acres of land, according to its website.

• Located in Lakewood Heights neighborhood, South View is also where several famous Black Atlantans are buried, including former Congressman John Lewis, Hank Aaron, John Wesley Dobbs, Grace Towns Hamilton, Julian Bond and Alonzo Herndon.
• U.S. Rep. David Scott, who died April 22, was buried there over the weekend, Hemphill said.

What's next: A nomination package for the cemetery will be sent to the National Register for consideration.