GA-029-101 Old Athens Cemetery

Marker text: OLD ATHENS CEMETERY

This site is the original burial ground for Athens and contains the remains of its earliest citizens. It is a part of the original tract of land purchased for The University of Georgia by Governor John Milledge in 1801. All people in Athens were allowed to bury their dead here free of charge. Some markers are uninscribed local field stones, others are of imported marble. Two Revolutionary soldiers are known to be buried here as well as Dr. Moses Waddell, president of the University 1819-1829. Because of overcrowding here, Oconee Hill Cemetery, located nearby to the southeast, was opened in 1856. A number of graves and stones were moved to it. The original cemetery was more than twice as large as now; land was lost as the University and town grew and encroached from all sides. The last known burials occurred in the 1880s. Today the Old Athens Cemetery, with its beautiful park-like setting, serves as a place of quiet reflection and remembrance of Athens long ago. The Old Athens Cemetery is maintained by the Old Athens Cemetery Foundation, Inc.

Placed by the Thomas Miller Chapter, National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, 1996