Riverside Cemetery (Macon, Georgia)

Riverside Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery[3] in Macon, Georgia established in 1887. It is approximately 54 acres (22 ha) in size and privately owned. Over 18,000 people are interred here.[4]

Riverside Cemetery
Gate House at Riverside Cemetery, October 2013
Location1301 Riverside Dr., Macon, Georgia
Coordinates32.8502501°N 83.6385942°W / 32.8502501; -83.6385942
Area54 acres (22 ha)
Built1887-1889
Architect
NRHP reference No.83000183[1][2]
Added to NRHPApril 28, 1983

History

Riverside Cemetery Corporation was founded in 1887 to create the cemetery in protest of what was seen as the city of Macon's poor upkeep of Rose Hill Cemetery nearby. That site dated from 1840 and had fallen into disrepair. The differences between the two adjacent cemeteries highlight changes in cemetery design during the 19th century, as well as the trend toward private (rather than public) ownership of these properties.[5]

The original 23 acres (9.3 ha) plan was laid out from 1887 to 1889 and was designed by Vaux & Co., one of the few commissions by the firm in the Southeast. Peter E. Dennis of the local firm Dennis & Dennis was the local supervising architect,[6] and designed the Gate House in 1897.[5] The Mausoleum building was designed by the Georgia Mausoleum Company in 1918.[5]

A triangular-shaped redoubt from the Civil War is preserved within the grounds, overlooking the Ocmulgee River. It was built by troops under the command of Gen. Howell Cobb[4] in July 1864 in preparation for a raid that would take place during Sherman's March to the Sea.[5]

The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1]

Notable interments
  • Juanita Black, social activist whose husband was first Georgia state trooper killed in the line of duty[7]
  • Charles L. Bowden, mayor of Macon, Georgia from 1938 to 1947 and the namesake of the Charles L. Bowden Golf Course[8]
  • Peter E. Dennis, architect of the cemetery[9]
  • William Arthur Fickling Sr., local businessman who inspired the International Cherry Blossom Festival[4]
  • Denmark Groover, Jr., state legislator known for his involvement in changing the design of the flag of the State of Georgia
  • Andreas Gruentzig, German radiologist who developed balloon angioplasty
  • John Fletcher Hanson, industrialist, founder of the Bibb Manufacturing Company, and "Father of Georgia Tech"[4]
  • Parks Lee Hay, Sr., businessman who lived in the Johnston–Felton–Hay House, now a historic museum[10]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Brooks, Carolyn (March 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Riverside Cemetery". National Park Service. Retrieved April 27, 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) With 1 photos from August 1982
  3. Linden, Blanche M.G. (2007). Silent City on a Hill: Picturesque Landscapes of Memory and Boston's Mount Auburn Cemetery. Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press. p. 295. ISBN 978-1-55849-571-5. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  4. "History of Riverside Cemetery". Riverside Cemetery. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  5. Brooks 1983, p. 4.
  6. Brooks 1983, p. 3.
  7. Walden, Katherine (October 27, 2016). "A colorful past and cultural present in Macon". Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  8. "Interment: Charles Loyren Bowden". Riverside Cemetery. Retrieved April 28, 2017. Lot Designation: Althea, Row C, Lot 20; includes photos & obituary.
  9. "Interment: Peter Edward Dennis". Riverside Cemetery. Retrieved April 28, 2017. Lot Designation: Jasmine, Row G, Lot 2; includes photos & obituary.
  10. "Interment: Parks Lee Hay Sr". Riverside Cemetery. Retrieved April 28, 2017. Lot Designation: Honeysuckle, Row R, Lot 3; includes photos & obituary.
  11. "Interment: Martha Bibb Hardaway Redding". Riverside Cemetery. Retrieved April 28, 2017. Lot Designation: Daisy, Row C18, Lot 2; includes photos & obituary.
  12. "Interment: Rosa Taylor". Riverside Cemetery. Retrieved April 28, 2017. Lot Designation: Honeysuckle, Row P24, Lot 7; includes photos & obituary.
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