Riverside Cemetery is a historic

rural cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-19th century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries, which tended to be churchyards. Rural cemeter ...

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

established in 1887. It is approximately in size and privately owned. Over 18,000 people are interred here.

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. The original 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 The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, ...

. Peter E. Dennis of the local firm Dennis & Dennis was the local supervising architect, and designed the Gate House in 1897. The Mausoleum building was designed by the Georgia Mausoleum Company in 1918. A triangular-shaped

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a Fortification, fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on Earthworks (engineering), earthworks, although some are constructed of ston ...

from the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

is preserved within the grounds, overlooking the

Ocmulgee River The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.Howell Cobb Howell Cobb (September 7, 1815 – October 9, 1868) was an American and later Confederate political figure. A southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and the speaker of the House from 1849 to ...

in July 1864 in preparation for a raid that would take place during Sherman's March to the Sea. The cemetery was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1983.

Notable interments

* Juanita Black, social activist whose husband was first Georgia state trooper killed in the line of duty * Charles L. Bowden, mayor of Macon, Georgia from 1938 to 1947 and the namesake of the Charles L. Bowden Golf Course * Peter E. Dennis, architect of the cemetery * William Arthur Fickling Sr., local businessman who inspired the

International Cherry Blossom Festival The International Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Macon, Georgia, every spring. Macon, known as the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World," has around 300,000–350,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees that bloom around the city in late March every year. T ...

* Denmark Groover, Jr., state legislator known for his involvement in changing the design of the flag of the State of Georgia *

Andreas Gruentzig Andreas Roland Grüntzig (25 June 1939 – 27 October 1985) was a German radiologist and cardiologist, with foundational interest, training and research in epidemiology and angiology. He is known for being the first to develop successful balloon a ...

, German

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...

who developed balloon

angioplasty Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...

* John Fletcher Hanson, industrialist, founder of the Bibb Manufacturing Company, and "Father of

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

" * Parks Lee Hay, Sr., businessman who lived in the Johnston–Felton–Hay House, now a historic museum * John Raymond Hope, meteorologist for

The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel ...

* E.D. Huguenin, cotton broker and a pecan farmer, namesake of Huguenin Heights neighborhood * Leonard Knowles, first

Chief Justice of the Bahamas The chief justice of the Bahamas heads the Supreme Court of the Bahamas. Legal basis The position of chief justice is authorised by Article 93(2) of the Constitution of the Bahamas. Under Article 94(1), the governor-general appoints the chief ju ...

after independence * Martha Fannin Johnston, socialite who donated the land for the Girl Scout's Camp Martha Johnston * Ellamae Ellis League, architect, the first woman

FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-membe ...

from Georgia * Charles Reb Massenburg, owner of Acme Brewing & later superintendent of Macon Hospital * Hazel Jane Raines, World War II aviator, Georgia's "First Lady of Flight" * Martha Bibb Hardaway Redding, one of the three co-founders of

Phi Mu Phi Mu () is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. The fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia as the Philomathean Society on , and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same ...

* Emory Speer, attorney, judge and U.S. Congressman *

George Stallings George Tweedy Stallings (November 17, 1867 – May 13, 1929) was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and Philadelphia Phillies in 1890 and 1897 to 1898 and mana ...

, major league baseball manager *

Young Stribling William Lawrence Stribling Jr. (December 26, 1904 – October 3, 1933), known as Young Stribling, was an American professional boxer who fought from Featherweight to Heavyweight. His 1931 fight against Max Schmelling for Schmeling's world heavy ...

, professional boxer * Rosa Taylor, educator in

Bibb County Public School District Bibb County School District is the county government agency which operates the public schools in Bibb County, Georgia, United States. List of schools Elementary schools There are 21 elementary schools. * Alexander II Magnet School *Bernd Ele ...

for over 50 years, namesake of Rosa Taylor Elementary School * Chauncey Vibbard, U.S. Congressman

Gallery

File:Riverside Cemetery 1.JPG, alt= File:Riverside Cemetery 3.JPG, alt= File:John Hansen Grave.jpg, alt=, John Fletcher Hanson grave – February 2022 File:Riverside Cemetery - Macon, GA 1.jpg, alt=, Gate House – February 2022

References

External links

Riverside Cemetery
* * {{National Register of Historic Places, state=collapsed Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) Macon metropolitan area, Georgia 1887 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Bibb County, Georgia Rural cemeteries Cemeteries established in the 1880s