Macon in Bibb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Unknown, But Not Forgotten

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 29, 2017

1. Unknown, But Not Forgotten Marker

Inscription. Before you are the known graves of almost 1,000 people who died enslaved. Despite the enormous number of people who died in slavery in the United States, the burial sites of only a small number of the enslaved are known. Oak Ridge Cemetery is significant not only for those we know are buried here but also because we will likely never find the graves of millions of others who died enslaved. We know of these burials because the City Council required the sexton over both Rose Hill and Oak Ridge to give monthly burial reports for these city-owned cemeteries. Although some months had no records, these reports contained in the official City Council minutes make Oak Ridge one of the most thoroughly documented public burial grounds of enslaved people in the state. Although no markers remain, the records of 961 burials here during the antebellum and Civil War years are credible. The graphic to the right shows the yearly totals of recorded burials in Oak Ridge Cemetery from 1840-1865.

"Somehow, the fact that they were people, human beings created as much in the image of God as any, tends to get lost in that word, slave. They

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are considered a different species by some, best forgotten swept from memory and relegated to the unmarked, unsought graves where their remains lie unacknowledged all over the South."
Jerrilyn McGhee Larkin, February 2016

Erected 2016 by Historic Macon Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical month for this entry is February 2016.

Location. 32° 50.94′ N, 83° 38.18′ W. Marker is in Macon, Georgia, in Bibb County. It can be reached from Madison Street 0.1 miles north of Riverside Drive (U.S. 23). Located within Oak Ridge Cemetery, between Riverside and Rose Hill Cemeteries. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Macon GA 31201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

Unknown, But Not Forgotten Marker looking over burial grounds. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 29, 2017

2. Unknown, But Not Forgotten Marker looking over burial grounds.

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Oak Ridge Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Oak Ridge Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Oak Ridge Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); General Edward Dorr Tracy, Jr. (about 700 feet away); Alfred Holt Colquitt (approx. 0.2 miles away); Macon Defensive Fortifications (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Basil Lamar (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rose Hill Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Macon.

View from marker towards Oak Ridge Cemetery entrance. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 29, 2017

3. View from marker towards Oak Ridge Cemetery entrance.

Closeup of yearly totals of recorded burials from 1840-1865. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 29, 2017

4. Closeup of yearly totals of recorded burials from 1840-1865.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 2, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 494 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 2, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.