Piney Grove Cemetery

May 18

Site Brief:

Founded: 1820s

Location: Atlanta, GA

Additional name(s): Historic Piney Grove Cemetery

Affiliate group(s): None

History:

Piney Grove Cemetery, located at 834 Canterbury Road, is the last remaining historic landmark of Piney Grove, a former African-American community that likely dates back to the mid-1820s. Located in Buckhead, a predominately white wealthy area of Atlanta, the cemetery has over 300 graves, some of which hold the remains of formerly enslaved people, who helped build Atlanta. Oral history accounts state burials have occurred in the cemetery since the mid- 1800s and headstones, now obscured by vegetation, mark graves of individuals born before the Emancipation Proclamation. This sacred site is also a historically significant landmark for Atlanta and has been determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

The church building for Piney Grove Missionary Baptist Church was demolished after it suffered storm damage in 1996. Today, although original headstones remain intact, the cemetery is tragically unrecognizable and inaccessible due to overgrowth of vegetation. It is bordered by GA 400 on the west and mid-rise condominium development on the north and south. It can be accessed by an easement however lacks any signage. The restoration project will preserve the culture and history embedded in this African American cemetery and will lift the history of an enslaved and post-emancipated people. It will contribute to ensuring that the full history of Buckhead is known and that the memories of the lives of all people are treated with respect and dignity.

This project is being spearheaded by Audrey Collins and Rhonda Jackson, two sisters who grew up attending Piney Grove Baptist Church and whose great grandparents, grandparent, aunts and uncles are buried at the cemetery. The Buckhead Heritage Society has listed the cemetery on its website.