Spartanburg in Spartanburg County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Old City Cemetery
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
1. Old City Cemetery Marker
[Front]:
This cemetery, established on this site about 1900 as the Spartanburg Colored Cemetery, includes many graves moved here from the first black cemetery in the city, established in 1849 1 mi. W. and closed by the expansion of the Charleston & Western Carolina RR. Also known as the New Colored Cemetery until 1928 and later known as Freeman's Cemetery, it has been known as the Old Cemetery since 1959.
[Reverse]:
Prominent persons buried here include educator Mary Honor Farrow Wright (1862-1946), for whom Mary Wright School was named; midwife Phyllis Goings (1860-1945) and policeman Tobe Hartwell (d. 1932) for whom city public housing developements were named; city councilman Thomas Bomar (1864-1904), and educator Addie Wright McWhirter (1885-1976), first woman to teach at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind.
Erected 1997 by Spartanburg Community Memorial Committee & African-American Heritage Committee. (Marker Number 42-16.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Law Enforcement • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 34° 56.32′ N, 81° 55.112′
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Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Spartanburg Confederate War Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); Purple Heart Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Spartanburg County War Memorial (approx. half a mile away); American Legion Memorial Archway (approx. half a mile away); Hampton Heights Historic District (approx. 0.6 miles away); Church of the Advent (approx. 0.9 miles away); First Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg, S.C. (approx. 0.9 miles away); Walter Hyatt / DesChamps Hood (approx. one mile away); Hank Garland / Johnny Blowers (approx. one mile away); Palmetto Building (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spartanburg.
Also see . . . Charleston & Western Carolina Railway. The Charleston and Western Carolina Railway (C&WC) was formed in 1896 to operate the lines of the former Port Royal and Augusta Railway (PR&A) and the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway (PR&WC). (Submitted on February 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. Day School devotes time to sprucing
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
2. Old City Cemetery Marker - Front
By Lee G. Healy
Spartanburg Herald Journal
April 17, 2009
For now at least, the Cemetery Street Cemetery is an unassuming burial place. There's little landscaping, and many of the markers are cracked and broken, but the history within its fenced barrier is remarkable.
That's why when Spartanburg Day School parent Lindsay Webster drove by not long ago, she realized she wanted to preserve its history. She contacted the Spartanburg Memorial Cemetery Committee (which owns and maintains the grounds), enlisted the help of the SDS eighth-grade class, gathered up some trees, shrubbery, flowers and vines, and went to work.
"I saw it as another gem in the rough in Spartanburg," Webster said. "It's such an easy way for the kids to show love to the community."
The students, parents, teachers and community members put in a few hours of hard labor at the historic cemetery Thursday afternoon. Carrying shovels and pushing wheelbarrows, they passed the graves of many prominent leaders in the black community: Educator Mary H. Wright; Spartanburg's first black policeman, Tobe Hartwell; Phyllis Goins, a midwife to more than 400 infants; and J.W. Jones, the first black justice of the peace in Spartanburg, are just a few names.
A historical marker just outside the gates reads that the cemetery was established about
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
3. Old City Cemetery Marker
Reverse Side
"We know the history of the people here, and we're committed to maintaining that history," said Brenda Lee Pryce, cemetery committee chairwoman.
Watching the work around her, Pryce said she was overwhelmed when she got the call from the Day School. The partnership with the young people, she said, especially warmed her heart.
"The mere fact that the young people want to come and see for themselves and learn, I think it means a lot," Pryce said.
Ashley Oakes, 14, helped clean sticks and debris from flower beds just outside the cemetery gates. Nearby, her classmates were planting jasmine along the metal fence. Young oak trees and small shrubs also were ready for planting.
"I didn't even know about the cemetery before," Oakes said. "I think we'll help make this look better and help the community know more about it."
— Submitted May 24, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
4. Old City Cemetery Marker - Reverse
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
5. Cemetery Gate
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
6. Old City Cemetery Entrance
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
7. Old City Cemetery
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
8. Old City Cemetery
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
9. Old City Cemetery
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
10. Old City Cemetery
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
11. Old Graves
Photographed By Michael Sean Nix, April 17, 2009
12. Wright Family Grave Monument
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
13. Wright Family Plot
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
14. Thomas Morgan Bomar Tombstone
Photographed By Brian Scott, February 14, 2011
15. Bomar Family Plot
Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 17, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,476 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 17, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 2. submitted on February 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 3. submitted on April 17, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 4. submitted on February 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 5. submitted on April 17, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 6. submitted on February 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 7, 8. submitted on April 17, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 9. submitted on February 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 10, 11, 12. submitted on April 17, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 13, 14, 15. submitted on February 25, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.
