Church Street Graveyard is a historic city

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located in Mobile, Alabama. The cemetery is situated on and is surrounded by a brick wall that dates to 1830. At the time that the cemetery was established it lay about a half mile away from most development, but it is now considered to be in downtown.

History

Church Street Graveyard was founded in 1819, replacing the Campo Santo that was located at the site of the present Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as the city's main place of burial. The new cemetery was not officially acquired from local landowner William E. Kennedy by the city of Mobile until a year later, in 1820. Mobile's city officials divided the cemetery into three sections. The northeastern third was designated for

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

s, the southeastern third for

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

s, and the remaining western portion a "graveyard for strangers". Masons, Odd Fellows, veterans, and the

indigent Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income

incidentally came to be interred in this western section. The cemetery was closed to burial in 1898, though a few modern burials have taken place by special city resolution.

Notable monuments and interments

Many of the gravestones at Church Street Graveyard are significant examples of stone carving work done in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

in the early 19th century. The cemetery also contains early examples of wrought and cast iron work. The more notable interments include: *Charles R.S. Boyington, convicted of murder of Nathaniel Frost. Reportedly buried beneath the

Boyington Oak The Boyington Oak is a historic Southern live oak in Mobile, Alabama. In a city with many live oaks that are famous for their age and size, the Boyington Oak stands out as a singular example of one famous for the folklore surrounding its origin ...

just outside the graveyard walls. *

Joe Cain Joseph Stillwell Cain, Jr. (''Joe Cain'') (October 10, 1832 – April 17, 1904) is largely credited with initiating the modern way of observing Mardi Gras and its celebrations in Mobile, Alabama, following the Civil War. "Joe Cain Artic ...

, important figure in the history of Mardi Gras in the city. *Colonel Jean-Jerome Cluis, a

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

refugee and member of the ill-fated

Vine and Olive Colony The Vine and Olive Colony was an effort by a group of French Bonapartists who, fearing for their lives after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Bourbon Restoration, attempted to establish an agricultural settlement growing wine grapes and olive ...

. *Dominique Louis Dolive, an early French settler. *Don Miguel Eslava, an early

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

official. *Gen.

Edmund Pendleton Gaines Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777 – June 6, 1849) was a career United States Army officer who served for nearly fifty years, and attained the rank of major general by brevet. He was one of the Army's senior commanders during its format ...

, a hero of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. *Mary Josephine Hollinger, a native of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonial Mobile. *James Roper, builder of Oakleigh. *

Eugene Walter Eugene Ferdinand Walter, Jr. (November 30, 1921 – March 29, 1998) was an American screenwriter, poet, short-story author, actor, puppeteer, gourmet chef, cryptographer, translator, editor, costume designer and well-known raconteur. During his y ...

, actor and author. *Julian Lee Rayford, author and folklorist.

Gallery

Image:Church Street Cemetery 01.JPG, A tomb in Church Street Graveyard. Image:Joe Cain Gravemarker.jpg, Grave of

, founder of modern Mardi Gras. Image:Church Street Graveyard 04.JPG, An example of iron work in Church Street Graveyard. Image:Church Street Graveyard 05.JPG, A sculptural tombstone in Church Street Graveyard.

References

{{Mobile, Alabama Cemeteries in Mobile, Alabama 1819 establishments in Alabama