The original landholdings of James M. Ware were being used as a burial ground before the city of Birmingham bought it out. At the time Birmingham was just a small city in 1871 so the cemetery was very far from downtown which many locals thought it was to far away. The first plats of the Elyton Land Company which Ware was one of the owners were designated as early as 1871. By 1973 the city received a deed for the transfer of 21.5 acres of land called Oak Hill when the original owners started to sell out there land.

The cemetery has over 10,000 burials and sits on a hill draped with some of the largest oaks in the south. Most of the burials took place when the city was growing before 1930. The families that founded Birmingham are all buried here. Before the city of Birmingham was developed burials were occurring prior to 1873 despite the city did not have its title yet. The first burial was Evaline A. Henley infant daughter of Birmingham's first mayor Robert Henley where both are laid to rest Evaline in 1869.

The potters field in one part of the cemetery had its first burial as well when a man named Adalimer King was buried in it. Most of them potters field victims died of cholera epidemic of 1873. The last burials in the Potter's Field stopped in 1889 around the same year Judge Alexander O. Lane purchased 200 acres on the southern slope of Red Mountain for the express purpose of burying the city's paupers. Those burials of paupers ceased in 1909. That land in 1929 was named Lane Park in the judges honor. However if you read about your zoo investigation previously you will find parts of the zoo were built on pauper ground.

The Elyton Land Company was responsible for the forming of Birmingham which had 10 original owners nine which are buried in Oak Hill. William F. Nabers, William S. Mudd, Sylvester Steele, Thomas Peters, Robert N. Green, Alburto Martin, James M. Ware, William A. Walker Sr. and Benjamin P. Worthington. Sever majors including Henley are buried here. The first male child born in Birmingham is buried here from 1871. There are many civil war veterans even a veteran of the American Revolution.  Another burial here is John Burford Sr and many other prominent citizens. 

The cemetery sits on a fairly large hill over looking downtown Birmingham as you will see in the photos. It has dozens of crypts, a old stone wall surrounding it, many statues, angels, crosses and hills. In some ways walking around during the day is very eerie in some places. You are not going to see many ghost photos because this was a day time investigation leaving the public with a inquiring mind whether this cemetery could be haunted by such prominent people from Birmingham. Many of the deaths that took place at Sloss Furnaces had interments buried here from tragedies that had befallen the hard working men.  Its one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the south and this is why I am sharing it with you!

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Rick-LordOfThyNight