National Register of Historic Places

Riverside Cemetery

Macon, Bibb County, Georgia
Listed
April 27, 1983
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
83000183

About this property

Riverside Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Macon, Georgia established in 1887. It is approximately 54 acres (22 ha) in size and privately owned. Over 18,000 people are interred here. Riverside Cemetery Corporation was founded in 1887 to create the cemetery in protest of what was seen as the city of Macon's poor upkeep of Rose Hill Cemetery nearby. That site dated from 1840 and had fallen into disrepair. The differences between the two adjacent cemeteries highlight changes in cemetery design during the 19th century, as well as the trend toward private (rather than public) ownership of these properties. The original 23 acres (9.3 ha) plan was laid out from 1887 to 1889 and was designed by Vaux & Co., one of the few commissions by the firm in the Southeast. Peter E. Dennis of the local firm Dennis & Dennis was the local supervising architect, and designed the Gate House in 1897. The Mausoleum building was designed by the Georgia Mausoleum Company in 1918. A triangular-shaped redoubt from the Civil War is preserved within the grounds, overlooking the Ocmulgee River. It was built by troops under the command of Gen. Howell Cobb in July 1864 in preparation for a raid that would take place during Sherman's March to the Sea. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. King Bailey, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds Juanita Black, social activist whose husband was first Georgia state trooper killed in the line of duty Charles L. Bowden, mayor of Macon, Georgia from 1938 to 1947 and the namesake of the Charles L. Bowden Golf Course William Arthur Fickling Sr., local businessman who inspired the International Cherry Blossom Festival Denmark Groover, Jr., state legislator known for his involvement in changing the design of the flag of the State of Georgia Andreas Gruentzig, German radiologist who developed balloon angioplasty John Fletcher Hanson, industrialist, founder of the Bibb Manufacturing Company, and "Father of Georgia Tech" Parks Lee Hay, Sr., businessman who lived in the Johnston–Felton–Hay House, now a historic museum John Raymond Hope, meteorologist for The Weather Channel E.D. Huguenin, cotton broker and a pecan farmer, namesake of Huguenin Heights neighborhood Leonard Knowles, first Chief Justice of the Bahamas after independence Martha Fannin Johnston, socialite who donated the land for the Girl Scout's Camp Martha Johnston Ellamae Ellis League, architect, the first woman FAIA from Georgia Charles Reb Massenburg, owner of Acme Brewing & later superintendent of Macon Hospital Hazel Jane Raines, World War II aviator, Georgia's "First Lady of Flight"

Location

1301 Riverside Dr.
Macon, Bibb County, Georgia
32.85205, -83.63796

Categories

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREHISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

Rose Hill Cemetery
Listed
0.3 mi
Macon Railway and Light Company Substation
Industrial
0.6 mi
Rogers, Rock, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Pleasant Hill Historic District
Listed
0.6 mi
Lassiter House
Industrial
0.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Wilson's Raid — Macon (April 1865)
1865Civil War
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Riverside Cemetery listed on the National Register?

Riverside Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Riverside Cemetery?

Riverside Cemetery is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Riverside Cemetery?

The period of significance for Riverside Cemetery is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Riverside Cemetery?

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