Savannah, Ga., April 27, 2016 – The Georgia Historical Society will unveil a new historical marker dedicated to South-View Cemetery this Saturday. The dedication commemorates the founding of South-View in 1886 as an alternative to Atlanta’s segregated burial grounds, and the six formerly enslaved African-American businessmen who petitioned the city of Atlanta for a charter to establish the cemetery.
South-View Cemetery is now the final resting place of more than 80,000 African Americans including the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and Alberta Williams King, parents of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The dedication will take place this Saturday, April 30, at 10:30 a.m. Speakers will include Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett, President of Morris Brown College, Dr. Charles A. Harper III, Senior Pastor of Paradise Missionary Baptist Church, Winifred Watts Hemphill, President of the South-View Cemetery Association, and Elyse Butler from the Georgia Historical Society. The marker will be unveiled by Ms. Butler, along with Alexis Scott, and Dr. D.L. Henderson, Chair and Historian respectively, of the Historic South-View Preservation Foundation. A reception will follow. The public is cordially invited to attend.
South-View Cemetery Historical Marker Dedication
10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 30, 2016
1990 Jonesboro Road SE, Atlanta, GA 30315
The Marker reads:
South-View Cemetery
South-View Cemetery was founded in 1886 by formerly enslaved African Americans who objected to the conditions and the treatment they received at Atlanta’s segregated burial grounds. South-View’s landscape reflects the influence of 19th century funerary art and symbolism. A variety of gravestone materials, from elaborate marble monuments to simple concrete markers, memorialize African Americans of all social strata. Notable burials include Alonzo Herndon, the founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company; Rev. & Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr., religious and civil rights leaders; and Bishop Henry McNeal Turner, Reconstruction-era state legislator and African Methodist Episcopal Church organizer. Today, South-View has expanded from its original 25 acres to more than 100 acres and continues to serve the community as an active cemetery.
Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Historic South-View Preservation Foundation
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ABOUT GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKER PROGRAM
The Georgia Historical Society has administered Georgia’s historical marker program since 1998, erecting over 200 historical markers across Georgia on a wide variety of subjects. Now, online mapping tools allow you to design statewide driving routes based on historical markers, while mobile apps give information about markers nearby. Visit georgiahistory.com for more ways to use Georgia’s historical markers and experience history where it happened.