Near Dayton in Marengo County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Paulling Place Cemetery

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 29, 2026

1. Paulling Place Cemetery Marker

Inscription. This African American Cemetery was located on the plantation of William K. Paulling (est. 1836). Oral histories given by the surrounding African American community indicate that Paulling Place Cemetery has been in continuous use since the days of slavery. It became the cemetery for the neighboring St. John's Baptist Church after that church was established in 1867. There are at least 175 unmarked graves, identifiable only by depressions in the ground. Surnames of those interred include: Bell, Harris, Johnson, Nelson, Robinson, Staten, Witherspoon and Wright.

Adjacent to the Paulling Place Cemetery is the Ernest Everett Hale family cemetery. Hale came to Marengo County in 1925 as County Extension Agent and aspired to own a Canebrake plantation. He returned in 1951 to purchase Paulling Place. He and others of the family are buried in the cemetery which is maintained, like the plantation, by his descendants.

Erected 2011 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in

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the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1836.

Location. 32° 21.92′ N, 87° 32.659′ W. Marker is near Dayton, Alabama, in Marengo County. It can be reached from County Route 63 0.2 miles south of County Route 53, on the right when traveling south. Marker is about 250 feet from Marengo County 63, off a small, unsigned dirt lane. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6419 Marengo County 63, Thomaston AL 36783, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bethel Baptist Church & Cemetery (approx. 4½ miles away); Bethel Hill Missionary Baptist Church (approx.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2022

2. Paulling Place Cemetery Marker

4.6 miles away); New Hope Cemetery (approx. 5.3 miles away); First Colored Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 6.1 miles away); Church of the Holy Cross (approx. 6.2 miles away); St. Michael's Episcopal Churchyard (approx. 6.2 miles away); St. Michael's Cemetery (approx. 6.2 miles away); Green Gables (approx. 6.4 miles away).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2022

3. Paulling Place Cemetery Marker

Paulling Place Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2022

4. Paulling Place Cemetery

The gravestones on the right are the only visible reminders of the cemetery.

Ernest Everett Hale family cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 6, 2022

5. Ernest Everett Hale family cemetery

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 29, 2026

6. Paulling Place Cemetery Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 764 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 2, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 12, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 6. submitted on August 2, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia.