Westview Cemetery

Westview Cemetery

Westview Cemetery, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is the largest cemetery in the South East, comprising over 582 acres (2.36 km²), 50% of which is undeveloped. Westview includes the graves of more than 100,000 people.^[1]

History

The land that would become Westview Cemetery was the site of a portion of the Battle of Ezra Church, a Civil War battle.^[2] The cemetery was established in 1884^[1] on Atlanta's west side when Oakland Cemetery was mostly filled out. Over 582 acres (2.36 km²) were purchased by a private corporation, headed by E. P. McBurney. The main gate is one of the oldest standing structures in Atlanta.

Structures

• Westview Abby - a mausoleum and chapel, was built in 1943 and houses 11,444 entombments and space to hold cremated remains. 27 stained glass panels adorn the Romanesque chapel and depicts Jesus Christ's life from nativity through crucifixion and resurrection. Look for the mural of Faith, Hope and Charity with four Christian parables presented in the artwork.

• The Receiving Tomb - was built in 1888 and once held bodies waiting to be processed and buried. Wagons, and in later years vehicles, carrying the deceased could not get down the muddy cemetery roads during heavy rains. The marble and brick receiving tomb was also used to house an excess of bodies during the Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918.^[3]

• The Water Tower - may be mistaken for a battlefield look-out point but was only used to hold water. Look at the top of the tower to see a local example of a crenellated adornment, or a repeat of square indentations. The top looks more like a castle than the roof of a water tower.

• The Confederate Memorial- was erected by The Confederate Veterans Association of Fulton County to honor its fallen soldiers. The monument features a stone soldier holding a flag and standing on top of small cannon balls. Two Cohorn mortars lie just beyond a circle of Confederate graves and mark a path leading to the historic monument.

• Westview Cemetery Gardens

Famous burials

• The entire Adair Clan
• Jim Bagby, Sr., the first pitcher to hit a home run in a modern World Series
• Asa Candler, businessman, owner of Coca-Cola
• Asa G. Candler, Jr., eccentric son of Asa Candler, Sr., big game hunter and aviation enthusiast
• Dolla (rapper), Rapper
• Hugh M. Dorsey, Governor of Georgia from 1917 to 1921.
• John J. Eagan (ACIPCO), industrialist
• James Douglas Edgar, golfer, winner of the Canadian Open
• Keith Eubanks, radio and commercial voice-over artist
• Y. Frank Freeman, American film company executive for Paramount Pictures
• Henry W. Grady, journalist and orator
• L.P. Grant, for whom Grant Park is named.
• Joel Chandler Harris, newspaperman and author of "Uncle Remus"
• William Berry Hartsfield, Mayor of Atlanta
• the founders of furniture retailers Haverty's & Rhodes
• Alice Hawthorn, victim of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing
• Donald L. Hollowell, civil rights attorney
• Vivian Malone Jones, civil rights activist
• Ralph Emerson McGill, journalist and civil rights leader
• Arthur James Moore, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church
• Aurianna "Ria" Raae Pell, Chef, Restaurateur, Mayor of Gay Atlanta, winner of Chopped Tv show
• Isaac Newton Ragsdale, Mayor of Atlanta
• Frank Lebby Stanton, first poet laureate of Georgia, lyricist of "Just Awearyin' for You"
• Charles Davis Tillman, early influence on southern gospel music
• Robert Shaw, conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Rankin M. Smith, Sr., businessman, philanthropist & owner of Atlanta Falcons
• Robert Woodruff, businessman, President of Coca-Cola

Location

The cemetery is located at 1680 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta, GA 30310. Its telephone number is (404) 755-6611 The office is open Monday-Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9:30-2 and is closed on Sunday. Gates are open from 8 am until 5:30 pm every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving. The site is a fifteen-minute walk from the West Lake MARTA station

Notes and references

See also

• List of oldest structures in Atlanta
• Westview Neighborhood

External links

• Westview Cemetery web site
• Westview Cemetery at Find A Grave

Coordinates: 33°44′46″N 84°26′35″W / 33.746162°N 84.443142°W / 33.746162; -84.443142