New Hope A.M.E. Church Cemetery Historic Preservation Project

Buckhead Heritage has been working on a major project for several years to help preserve and protect the New Hope A.M.E. Church Cemetery, located on Arden Road in Buckhead. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is an important local example of a rural African-American cemetery.

Buckhead Heritage is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2006 by a group of Buckhead residents who recognized the need for an advocacy organization to protect Buckhead’s significant historic resources.

The 1.86-acre cemetery is located across the street from the church and contains hundreds of graves. The first documented burial, based on church history and oral tradition, was in 1889. There are also many unmarked graves at the site.

Buckhead Heritage secured a $10,000 grant that enabled Matt Matternes, senior mortuary archeologist at New South Associates, to complete a comprehensive survey of the cemetery that identified 100 unmarked graves and a possible crypt. One of the goals of the historic preservation project is to place a small historically appropriate marker on each unmarked grave.

Buckhead Heritage and Peachtree Road United Methodist Church secured a survey for the property. Thanks to the generosity of neighborhood residents, businesses and others who contributed to the campaign to raise $27,000, new fencing has now been added to the remaining boundaries of the cemetery.

As part of the ongoing work, the front row of grave markers will be leveled and reinstalled at a future date.

A community work day is scheduled Saturday, April 2, from 9 a.m.-noon at the New Hope A.M.E. Church Cemetery. Volunteers are needed to assist with general cleanup. Ashley Shares, Historic Oakland Cemetery’s director of preservation, will demonstrate how to properly care for historic headstones and markers.

According to the Buckhead Interpretive Plan sponsored by Buckhead Heritage, the community is sitting on an enormous, untapped resource. More than 650 historic and cultural assets have been identified within the Buckhead community, including historic districts, historic architecture, Civil War sites and some of the oldest cemeteries in Atlanta. “Connecting our youth and neighbors to these sites has the potential to transform the entire community, providing a sense of place and history that is notably lacking.”

For additional information on the ongoing cemetery project, contact Buckhead Heritage Executive Director Richard Waterhouse at rwaterhouse@buckheadheritage.com or 404.467.9447.