MACEDONIA AFRICAN METHODIST CHURCH & CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1880

ADDITONAL NAMES: Warsaw AME cemetery

AFFILIATION(S):

• Descendants of Macedonia Church and Cemetery of Johns Creek Georgia, Inc.

• Johns Creek Historical Society

HISTORY:

THE CEMETERY

Hidden up a steep winding driveway near one of the busiest intersections in the City of Johns Creek, Georgia is a small African-American cemetery. The Macedonia African Methodist Church Cemetery (also known as Warsaw AME Colored cemetery) is known to be the burial place of enslaved peoples and their descendants from local farms in the area. The cemetery has been abandoned for years and is in need of headstone repairs, identification of unmarked graves, and research to learn about those buried on the site.

Descendants of Macedonia Church and Cemetery of Johns Creek Georgia, Inc. (DMCC)’s involvement- The organization is led by Board Members of the Descendants of Macedonia Church and Cemetery of Johns Creek Georgia, Inc. that include actual descendants of those buried at the cemetery and a resident of Johns Creek, Georgia: Madyun Shahid (President), Kirk Canaday (Vice President), Dometa Ouisley (Secretary/Treasurer), Sabrina Aquell (Treasurer). The Descendants of Macedonia Church and Cemetery of Johns Creek, Georgia, Inc. DMCC is committed to reconnecting families with their roots by linking ancestors with their descendants through the powerful tool of reverse genealogy. We honor the sacred ground where generations rest by preserving its legacy and uncovering the stories long buried with them. Our work bridges the past and present—giving voice to the voiceless and identity to the forgotten. Join us in restoring dignity, unity, and historical truth—one name at a time.

The Johns Creek Historical Society involvement- The Johns Creek Historical Society took on the project of preserving and improving the cemetery by working with the city and by researching those buried at the site.

Our efforts follow those of others. In 1998, the Warsaw Historic Preservation Society was formed and through their efforts, Fulton County obtained a maintenance easement to the property. The group also tried to have an overlay historic district formed for the area surrounding the intersection of Medlock and State Bridge roads. In 2016, Preserve Johns Creek contracted an archaeological survey by New South Associates that mapped marked graves and potential unmarked graves. The DMCC proposed and requested funding from the local government however, our efforts hit a brick wall in the Fall of 2025. The local government decided to determinate negotiations for the descendants to purchase the cemetery.

Thanks to donations from individuals and funds raised by Student Leadership Johns Creek, the Historical Society was able to have 14 headstones and several foot stones repaired and reset. They now are restored and standing straight, preventing further damage and properly honoring those buried. The JC Historical Society spent $3,205 to have the following Macedonia grave markers repaired, leveled, and reset.

BCN Contact Information:

Descendants of Macedonia Church and Cemetery of Johns Creek Georgia, Inc.

descendantsofmacedonia.org