Old Settlers' Cemetery is a city-owned cemetery located at 200 West 5th Street, right in the middle of
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. It was the first municipal burial ground in Charlotte and contains the graves of many early settlers, with gravesites dating from 1776 through 1884. Prominent people buried in Old Settlers' include
Nathaniel Alexander,
Greene Washington Caldwell, Revolutionary War hero Major General George Graham, and
Thomas Polk
Thomas Polk (c. 1732–January 25, 1794) was a planter, military officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1781, and a politician who served in the North Carolina House of Commons, North Carolina Provinci ...
, Charlotte founding father and great-uncle of United States President
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
. Also contained in the cemetery is an obelisk honoring North Carolina planter and politician
William Davidson William or Bill Davidson may refer to:
Businessmen
* Bill Davidson (businessman) (1922–2009), Michigan businessman and sports team owner
** William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan, named in honor of Bill Davidson
* William Davidson ...
.
[Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission: Old Settlers' Cemetery]
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Old Settlers' was Charlotte's only city operated cemetery until 1854, when—due to space limitations—it was closed and the City opened Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery. By the 1940s the cemetery was in poor condition and was only preserved through the efforts of Charlotte historian and legislator Julia McGehee Alexander.
Old Settlers' Cemetery recently had a $500,000 restoration.[''The Old Settlers Cemetery'', Charlotte Observer: Sunday, November 22, 1998] With its majestic old oaks and brick lined pathways, it is more park than cemetery and is a centerpiece of Charlotte's Fourth Ward Historic District.[
]
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Interactive video of Old Settlers' Cemetery
Cemeteries in North Carolina
Parks in Charlotte, North Carolina