Legacy:  In 1801 a committee authorized by the General Assembly of Georgia to select a site for the location of the new University of Georgia decided upon a tract of land on the “North Fork” of the Oconee River, and John Milledge purchased 633 acres from Daniel Easley which he presented to the state for this purpose. The history of Oconee Hill Cemetery is closely linked to the histories of Athens and the University of Georgia. Indeed, the first grave sites in Athens were actually on unused portions of the college campus, and it was because the burial ground had spread close to the dwellings of the president and professors that university trustees urged the intendant (mayor) and wardens of Athens to create a public cemetery for the community. In 1855, seventeen acres of land along the west side of the Oconee River were purchased from Pamela Hopping for $1,000 ($300 in cash and bonds to finance the balance). The following year a plan for the cemetery’s design was adopted, the first lots were auctioned, and management of the cemetery was assigned to a self-perpetuating board of trustees. 

An act of the General Assembly approved on December 7, 1860, established the responsibilities of the trustees as the corporate officers of Oconee Hill Cemetery. This act was amended in 1904 to declare the mayor of Athens an ex officio member of the board of trustees and again in 1915 to authorize the trustees to create a perpetual care trust fund. There are no precise records for the activities of the trustees until 1896, all prior records having been destroyed by fire.  

By this date, however, virtually all lots had been sold and the need to expand the size of Oconee Hill Cemetery was evident. As there was slight opportunity for expansion on the west side of the river, in 1898 the trustees acquired from Thomas Bailey a tract of some eighty-two acres on the east side. Less rugged and hilly than the original acquisition, the new ground did not require the supporting walls and stone steps that had been built throughout the old section; but bridging the 150-foot river was a serious problem---a difficulty overcome with the aid of the city, which bore two-thirds of the cost. The bridge connecting the old and new sections of Oconee Hill Cemetery was built in 1899, and this structure was replaced by the present iron bridge---moved by the county from another road across the river---in the 1950s. 

Many people of local, state, and national stature are interred in Oconee Hill Cemetery. Included are early leaders of the University of Georgia, the nation’s first state-chartered university; Edwin Newton, founder of the first ladies garden club in America; Crawford W. Long, a discoverer of the use of ether as anesthesia; William Lorenzo Moss, who developed a method of classifying blood groups; and veterans of virtually every war in our nation’s history. Also buried at Oconee Hill are two Georgia governors, the first chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, eight presidents of the University of Georgia, artists, scientists, civic leaders, and public servants to the community, state, and nation. 

It is worth noting that a number of graves in Oconee Hill Cemetery actually predate its opening in 1856. This is because many graves have been moved from the Old Athens Cemetery and various abandoned family plots and church cemeteries over the years. Also important is the fact that Oconee Hill Cemetery has been interracial from its inception, although unfortunately the status of African-Americans during the nineteenth century meant that many graves were poorly marked. The loss of early cemetery records to fire has thus made it very difficult to identify many of the graves belonging to African-Americans.  

    

Beauty:  Oconee Hill Cemetery is an excellent example of the fashionable natural landscape cemetery movement that began early in the nineteenth century in Europe. The hallmarks of this kind of cemetery are wooded, grassy, rolling terrain, flowing water, meandering drives, scenic vistas, and the potential for an arboretum or botanical garden. The first such burial ground in this country was Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

The original design for Oconee Hill Cemetery was created by James Camak. His plan, utilizing the natural terrain of the site, was based upon visits to other examples of the Victorian rural cemetery movement and his interest in horticulture. The university’s botanical garden was closed around the time the cemetery was being planned, so the concept of highlighting natural trees and plants while importing other species was an appealing aspect of the plan. Recent surveys by students and faculty from the University of Georgia’s School of Environmental Design have identified some the earliest plantings in the cemetery. 

The beautiful natural setting is enhanced by a two-century array of mortuary art marking graves throughout the cemetery. Ornamental ironwork on gates and fences, beautifully constructed retaining walls, and other unique structures add to the charm and beauty of this historic cemetery.