Southeast Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Historic Hillcrest Cemetery

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, September 19, 2023

1. Historic Hillcrest Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Historic Hillcrest Cemetery is a planned African American cemetery located at 1905 Garner Road in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina. The Lightner Funeral Home was started in 1908 by Calvin E. Lightner and Rayford H. Lightner and received its charter in 1911. The Lightners purchased 60.8 acres on Garner Rd. The parcel was known as the Lightner farm. The cemetery was situated on 3.09 acres of this tract and burials date from circa 1920 to the present. The Lightners allowed other black funeral directors to use the cemetery for their burials as well. Lawrence E. Lightner, son of Calvin E. Lightner and his wife Anna Roberta Lightner sold the Garner Rd. tract - minus Hillcrest Cemetery - and the remaining 57 acres became Rochester Heights subdivision. No other Raleigh cemeteries have been identified that were developed, owned and operated by African Americans. Hillcrest Cemetery is the burial place for locally prominent African Americans such as William Lawrence Greene who received his Master's Degree from Cornell University in 1929 and was the Executive Director of the North Carolina Teachers Association. In 1974, his son,

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George Royster Greene became the first black Judge ever elected in Wake County. He served 14 years as a District Court Judge and 6 years as a Superior Court Judge with statewide jurisdiction. Other prominent African Americans buried here include Willie Dean "Pat" White, All American athlete and 15 veterans who served in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

Restored in 2021

Erected by Friends of Hillcrest Cemetery Restoration, Inc.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1905.

Location. 35° 45.317′ N, 78° 37.867′ W. Marker is in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Wake County. It is in Southeast Raleigh. It is on Garner Road south of Bailey Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Raleigh NC 27610, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont

and in the Research Triangle.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, September 19, 2023

2. Historic Hillcrest Cemetery Marker

Anglosphere.

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

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fall of Raleigh (approx. half a mile away); Mount Hope Cemetery (approx. one mile away); John Chavis (approx. 1.1 miles away); Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (approx. 1.1 miles away); Leonard Medical School (approx. 1.1 miles away); Estey Hall (approx. 1.2 miles away); Lafayette's Tour (approx. 1.2 miles away); Shaw University (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Raleigh.

Hillcrest Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, September 19, 2023

3. Hillcrest Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on September 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2023, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 267 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 19, 2023, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.