Near Morrilton in Conway County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Bold Pilgrim Cemetery

Established Circa 1880

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 22, 2025

1. Bold Pilgrim Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Bold Pilgrim is the final resting place for many courageous African Americans who settled in the Hickory Hill community of Conway County, Arkansas after the Civil War. These early African American settlers were fleeing oppressive conditions in post-Civil War South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Some were recently emancipated slaves, while others had never faced enslavement. They walked, came in wagons, and rode rail cars to find a better life for themselves and their families.

A study of early burials at Bold Pilgrim provides a glimpse into the lives of African Americans in rural Conway County, Arkansas. The majority of those buried at Bold Pilgrim owned their farms. They were able to read and write. They were committed to family and community. They were passionate about the education of their children, grandchildren, and future generations. The families of these heroes and heroines lovingly buried their dead at Bold Pilgrim.

Bold Pilgrim was established as a community cemetery that served members of a number of churches including Hopewell Presbyterian, Payne Chapel AME, New Zion CME, Spring Valley

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Baptist, and Pleasant Hill Methodist.

There are over 564 gravesites within Bold Pilgrim's 1.8 acres. The earliest known burial took place in 1885. The names of the persons interred and the dates of deaths are legible on 96 of the gravesites. Some gravesites are marked by simple field stones. Other gravesites are visible only as depressions. The majority of the known interments were between 1900 and 1919. Bold Pilgrim is still an active cemetery.

Funded by donations from Josh Childress, Bold Pilgrim descendants, and in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
Bold Pilgrim Cemetery Preservation Association Board of Trustees: Naomi Adams, Onye Childress, Helen Curry, Lois Lane, Annie Maxfield, Gracie Williams, Edna Wilson, and Glenda Wilson
Dedicated: March 2015

Erected 2015 by Bold Pilgrim Cemetery Preservation Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 35° 14.315′ N,

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 22, 2025

2. Bold Pilgrim Cemetery Marker

92° 41.045′ W. Marker is near Morrilton, Arkansas, in Conway County. It is at the intersection of Arkansas Route 9 and Bold Pilgrim Road, on the right when traveling south on Arkansas Route 9. Marker is set back far from the highway. It's best to view it from Bold Pilgrim Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2960 AR-9, Morrilton AR 72110, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Arkansas River Valley.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ozarks.

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,

the Louisiana Purchase,

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: A different marker also named Bold Pilgrim Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Conway County in the Civil War / Murder of John Clayton (approx. 6 miles away); W.L. Wood House

Bold Pilgrim Cemetery entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 22, 2025

3. Bold Pilgrim Cemetery entrance

(approx. 6.4 miles away); Lewisburg in the Civil War (approx. 6.9 miles away); Thousands Steamed By 1831-59, Two Cherokee Groups were Stranded Here (approx. 6.9 miles away); Historic Moose House (approx. 6.9 miles away); Conway County World War II Memorial (approx. 6.9 miles away); Conway County (approx. 6.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Morrilton.

Also see . . . Bold Pilgrim Cemetery (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the burial ground, which was listed in 2018. (Prepared by Kwendeche, FAIA; via Arkansas Heritage) (Submitted on August 28, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 108 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 28, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.