PiedmontNational Wildlife RefugeCemeteries

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Piedmont NationalWildlife Refuge islocated in the beautifulrolling clay hills of thelower Georgia Piedmont.The Refuge, whichcontains 35,000 acres,was purchased under theResettlement Act in the1930’s when erosion, theboll weevil, and finallythe great depressionmade it impossible forthe small farms toprovide a living for theirowners.

A Conservation Success StoryToday, through the efforts of the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, the 35,000acre national wildlife refuge is onceagain a forest. It hosts loblolly pineson the ridges with hardwoods foundalong creek bottoms. The Refugemanages the forest for theendangered red-cockadedwoodpecker and associated nativewildlife. Clear streams and beaverponds provide ideal wetlands formigrating waterfowl. Wildlifepopulations have been restored,many in greater numbers than whensettlers first arrived. But there aremany reminders of the homes andsettlers that once were scatteredthroughout the area.

Evidence ofHomesteadsRemainSpring is thetime of year theold homesitesare most visible.Wisteria is in fullbloom, anddaffodils, liliesand flowers thatwere onceplanted inflowerbeds andnext to walkwaysnow have crept

into the woods. Other non-nativespecies such as Chinaberry, NepaleseBrowntop, Mimosa, Chinese andJapanese privet will remain longafter the last visible remains of thefoundations disappear, and haveslowly been invading the surroundingforest. Many homesites typicallyhave large, open-grown oaks as wellas hackberry in the vicinity.

Cemeteries can be harder to find.The more visible ones have largeheadstones, table top markers,obelisks, and perhaps wrought ironfences with ornate gates. Othercemeteries may only have a few oval

Old homesteadlocated next toRidley FamilyCemetery

Cover: RidleyFamily Cemetery

or rectangularindentations or fieldstones marking thegraves. The Refuge’scemeteries are mosteasily seen during thewinter after theunderstory has lost itsleaves. All of thecemeteries sharecertaincharacteristics, suchas old cedars, largemature oaks, anddogwood, growingwithin them. They areoften located onridges or hills andhave old roadbedsleading to and aroundthem. At least threeRefuge cemeterieshave limestone orconcrete block wallsbuilt around severalgraves. There areindications thatseveral cemeterieshad ornamental metalor wrought iron fencesaround them or

around individual family plots. Oftenornamental shrubs or trees, such asred cedar, mark the corners orboundary lines of the cemetery.

You can find several different types ofgrave markers on the refuge. One ofthe most common markers is anengraved or carved tabletstone.Often these stones are set on a baseand accompanied by a footstone thatmay be carved with initials of thedeceased. Another type of marker isa large tabletop stone either set flushon the ground or placed on a stonebox or vault. Tabletop stones arerectangular-shaped markers aboutthree feet wide by six feet long andtwo inches thick. At least onecemetery has vaulted crypts orboxtombs, which are variation of theflat tabletop markers.

Photos, top tobottom: C.Gordon burialsite; tabletops inClowers Cemetery;Fieldstone inChilds Cemetery

Monuments, such asobelisks, are presentin several of therefuge’s cemeteries.Rectangular rockcairns, seen in theBeeland Cemetery,were occasionallyplaced over the grave.Uncarved fieldstonemarkers, sometimesaccompanied withsmaller footstones,are used in a numberof the cemeteries. Anumber of graves arenot marked, butvisible only as oval orrectangularindentations thatrange from three tofive feet in length.

A Tie to the PastCemeteries located onPiedmont NationalWildlife Refuge are alink to the settlers

that once lived on this land.Headstones are inscribed with datesleading as far back as the 1700s, andmark the graves of severalgenerations. There are RevolutionaryWar as well as Civil War veterans’graves, and several cemeteries areregularly visited by family andfriends. The gravestones are culturalartifacts that can teach us muchabout our American forebears.

Thirty two cemeteries have beendocumented on the Refuge since thelate 1990s. Five of these cemeteriesare easily accessed by the public.Drop by the Refuge Office to inquireabout access to the other cemeteries.The Refuge staff does record newlyidentified cemeteries periodically andwelcomes information aboutundocumented cemeteries. Questionsand comments are welcome at theRefuge Visitor Center or by telephoneat 478/986 5441.

Top: Obelisk,headstone andtabletop inGlover Cemetery;below: Rockcairn in IslandCemetery

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MonroeCounty

JonesCounty

RiverRoad

B. RussellRoad

JarrellPlantation

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Round OakJuliette Road

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STATE PARK

JULIETTE

To Highway 83

To Highway 83

LittleCem

BeelandCemetery

ChildsCemetery

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EXIT 186I-75 and FORSYTH

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MACON

OcmulgeeRiver

OcmRiv

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Stalking-headCreek

LittleFallingCreek

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LegendRefuge Boundary

Paved Roads

County Clay Roads

Refuge Graveled Road

Little Rock Wildlife Drive

Visitor Center

Ponds

Rivers & Creeks

Church

1000 Acre Management Compartments

Camping Area

Non-refuge Land

Cemeteries

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PiedmontNational Wildlife Refuge

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Sugar HillRoad

Fire TowerRoad

FivePointsRoadFive

PointsRoad

PippinRoad

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CaneyCreekRoad

RCW TrailCemetery

GunnCemetery

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AllisonCreek

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CaneyCreek

RockyBranch

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Exploring theRefugePiedmontRefuge is part ofa system of morethan 540National WildlifeRefuges, whichprovide for theconservation andmanagement ofhabitats to

benefit fish and wildlife. The refugeuses a variety of managementtechniques, primarily timber harvestand prescribed burning to sustain ahealthy pine / hardwood forest. Therefuge strives to provide qualitywildlife dependant recreationalopportunities when compatible withrefuge management objectives.

The refuge is open to the public yearround for visitation during day-lighthours, except during big game hunts.

The refuge boundary is marked withsigns and yellow paint.

Some access roads may be closed forsmall game and turkey seasons or inbad weather.

Contact the refuge office for moreinformation or to report anyviolations of refuge regulations478/ 986 5441.

General Prohibited Activities■ Taking, collecting, or disturbing

any plant or wildlife other thanthat specifically permitted byrefuge regulation

■ Removal of any public propertyincluding natural objects

■ Search for or removal of objects ofantiquity, archaeological, andhistoric resources, such as gravemarkers, bricks, pottery, andbottles

■ Marking trails with flagging,blazing, painting, paper, trash orother devices

GraniteenclosuresurroundingUnnamedCemetery #11

■ Entering therefuge duringdeer firearmhunts without arefuge permit

■ Possessingfirearms exceptby permittedhunters duringopen seasons

■ Off road vehicle travel. Vehicletravel is limited to open graveledroads

■ Use of ATVs or other off roadvehicles

■ Blocking refuge road, boat rampor gate with vehicles or vehicletravel around a closed gate

■ Disturbing, annoying orinterfering with other persons

■ Unleashed pets

■ Litter

Cemetery Regulations■ Enjoy your visit, but respect your

surroundings. Use caution whenwalking to and around thecemeteries.

■ Photographing the cemeteries andindividual markers andtranscribing the inscriptions areencouraged.

■ Cleaning the stones and graverubbings can cause damage andare not permitted.

■ Gravestones are easily damagedor uprooted. Jumping, leaping, orswinging from the stones are notpermitted. Doing so can result inserious damage or injury to bothvisitors and stones.

■ Children are to be supervised atall times.

■ Pack out any garbage and litter.

PiedmontNationalWildlife RefugeVisitor Center,open 8 am - 5 pmweekdays

Childs Cemetery

Childs CemeteryThe Childs Cemeteryis located incompartment 19 lessthan 1/4 mile offJuliette Road, nearFalling Creek. In thiscemetery there are 15marked graves withvarious types ofheadstones and atleast 19 graves withfieldstones asmarkers. Buried inthis cemetery is JohnChilds Sr. who was aRevolutionarySoldier. John Childswas born in 1751 inLouisa County,

Virginia and died May 15, 1825 inJones County, Georgia. John Childsand his wife Susannah Childs(originally Satterwhite) raised 11children. Originally there were un-etched markers marking the grave,and on January 22, 2000 hisdescendants placed a marker on hisgrave.

Gunn CemeteryAlso known as theAllison LakeCemetery, thiscemetery is locatedjust west of theRefuge Visitor Centerand is accessible fromthe Pine trail. Withinthis cemetery thereare six legible head

and foot stones and about twentygraves marked with fieldstones. Oneof the headstones marks the grave ofDaniel Gunn, who was born March14, 1763 and died August 25, 1825.Daniel Gunn was a RevolutionaryWar soldier, and together with hiswife Susan Street Gunn raised ninechildren. Descendants of Daniel andSarah Gunn still reside in MonroeCounty today.

Gunn Cemetery

Beeland CemeteryThis cemetery is alsoknown as the PippinsLake CampgroundCemetery. Located 1/2 mile from gate intocampground incompartment 19, thecemetery issurrounded by awrought iron fenceand has at least 21

graves. In addition to several gravesmarked with headstones andfootstones, there are also sometabletops made of rocks and bricks.Descendents of the Beeland familystill reside in the area today.

Red-CockadedWoodpeckerTrail CemeteryLocated incompartment 14along the 2.5 milelong Red-CockadedWoodpecker trail is aburial sitesurrounded by ablock wall. Within the

walled site are at least three gravesmarked by headstones that once hadengravings along the face, but timeand the elements have made themunreadable.

Little Rock CemeteryThis cemetery is awonderful example ofthe cemeteries on theRefuge that do nothave improved gravemarkers. Located incompartment 21 noteven 100 feet off theWildlife Drive, thecemetery has over 20

graves marked only by fieldstones.The graves are oriented in severalrows and seem to follow the ridge.For further directions to this andother cemeteries, please ask at theVisitor Center.

BeelandCemetery

Red-CockadedWoodpeckerTrail Cemetery

All photos:Liene Lucans

Little RockCemetery

Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge718 Juliette RoadHillsboro, GA 31038Office: 478/986 5441Fax: 478/986 9646Web: http://piedmont.fws.gov

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service1 800/344 WILD for general FWS information

August 2006