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

PINEY GROVE CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1820s

ADDITONAL NAMES: Historic Piney Grove Cemetery

AFFILIATION(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.

BCN Contact Information:

Audrey Collins

audrey.collins@comcast.net