I discovered Rose Hill Cemetery when I was in high school in Macon, GA. I first visited as part of a class where we researched the cemetery and took grave rubbings of some of the headstones. Its biggest claim to fame is the fact that members of the Allman Brothers band are buried there, but it has a lot more history than that, some dating as far back as 1840.

There are lots of memorable stories available here for those who take the time to read what’s left of the monuments. I won’t spoil the discovery by disclosing a lot of them here, but I will tell you about one of the more famous of the cemetery’s heart-rending graves.

The monument is a marble headstone with what looks like a coat, hat and belt carved as if it were left resting on top of the stone. It reads, “JOHN B. ROSS, SON OF W.A. AND E.J. JUHAN, DIED JULY 26, 1875, AGE 8 YEARS 4 MONTHS AND 16 DAYS, WAS A BRAVE LITTLE FIREMAN, ATTACHED TO DEFIANCE FIRE CO. NO. 5.” Apparently, John was a fixture at the firehouse as he wanted to grow up to be a fireman. When he died, stone carver John Artope made this monument which made sure John had the fireman’s uniform he so longed to wear in life.

Suffice it to say that Rose Hill is filled with beauty, heartbreak, and love. It’s enormous, so you can easily spend an entire day there.

The last time I was there, in 2007, I was saddened by how little had been done to maintain and restore the monuments. Many of the grave markers are worn so deeply that they can no longer be read. Lots of headstones are toppled and broken. Like so many small towns, there’s a lot of history in mine that’s just been neglected. Rose Hill is near the top of my list of tragedies.

If you ever visit Macon, you owe it to yourself to stop by Rose Hill. Late autumn and early spring are the best times to visit. You’ll certainly enjoy your walk among the dead.

If you’d like to learn more about the cemetery, I’d suggest checking out Stephanie Lincecum’s Rose Hill Blog. Traci Rylan’s blog, Adventures in Cemetery Hopping, which features a four-part article about Rose Hill, is also recommended. These bloggers are helping to keep the rich history of Rose Hill alive for future generations.