Spring Hill in Mobile in Mobile County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Spring Hill Graveyard

Photographed by Jim Ellis, June 28, 2026

1. Spring Hill Graveyard Marker east facing side, visible from the road

Inscription. Established 1844 By Deed to Judge of County Court of Mobile County Administered By Spring Hill Cemetery Association

Erected 1971 by Spring Hill Garden Club - Historic Mobile Preservation Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.

Location. 30° 42.094′ N, 88° 8.417′ W. Marker is in Mobile, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is in Spring Hill. It is on Dilston Street ¼ mile north of Old Shell Road, on the left when traveling north. The cemetery is located just inside the fenced 2.5 acre parcel. This parcel is surrounded by homes and streets are narrow and very pedestrian friendly. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 351 Dilston Street, Mobile AL 36608, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Alabama’s Gulf Coast

and in the Mobile Bay area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

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

the Viceroyalty of New France,

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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sand Town (approx. 0.3 miles away); Spring Hill (approx. 0.3 miles away); Miller Family Cemetery (approx. 1.8 miles away); Georgia Cottage (approx. 2.4 miles away); Visitation Convent and Academy (approx. 2.9 miles away); New Hope Gardens (approx. 3 miles away); Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd / Founding Members (approx. 3.2 miles away); The Mitchell Home (approx. 3.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mobile.

More about this marker. The Marker is inside the cemetery, double sided with the same information on both sides. The marker faces East and is visible readable from the roadway.

Regarding Spring Hill Graveyard. Also known as the Springhill Graveyard and Springhill Cemetery, the cemetery was registered in the Alabama Historic Commission Historic Cemetery Registry in June of 2009.

According

Spring Hill Graveyard Marker - view from roadway image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, June 28, 2026

2. Spring Hill Graveyard Marker - view from roadway

to the registry narrative this is one of Mobile's oldest cemeteries and was established as a private burying ground at Spring Hill for the Blair and McMillan families in 1844. The first burial was on April 10, 1841 for William, the son of John J. and Martha Blair. The founders, John J. Blair and Thomas McMillan and their families came from Camden, South Carolina. They bought five acre lots and built homes close to each other on present day Mordecai Lane.

Given that the Spring Hill area was founded in the 1820's on some of the highest ground overlooking the city and approximately 6 miles west from the then growing city center of Mobile, it became in its early years a summer retreat for residents and an escape from the yellow fever outbreak. The area was named Spring Hill due to an abundance of natural fresh springs, flowing freely from the lower levels of the “hill.” One parcel of land was set apart for a burial ground for many of these then prominent families. One section of land was reportedly designated for a Church that was to be built in the area and where services were held with ministers from various locations officiating. The

Spring Hill Graveyard Marker as seen from inside the cemetery. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, June 28, 2026

3. Spring Hill Graveyard Marker as seen from inside the cemetery.

The west facing side inside the cemetery has the same inscriptions as the side facing east (to the street).

cemetery boundaries were extended to the South and West over the years. Some of Mobile's more prominent families are buried here including those of the Toulmin Family.

Among those buried here were real estate developers, lawyers, teachers, architects, doctors, dentists, and a master carpenter that helped build the Bankhead Tunnel among others. Today there are over 1,300 memorials documented in Find A Grave for this cemetery. One of the most notable elements is that the many of the Toulmin family were originally interred at the home site of General Theopilus Lindsey Toulmin (1796-1866) who in 1828 acquired 1930 acres of land to the north of the then city of Mobile and latter some of which came to be known as the present day Toulminville area of Mobile and the City of Prichard. The original home was also moved to the campus of the University of South Alabama in 1974 and known as the Plantation Creole house or Toulmin House. According to accounts the Toulmin family graves were also moved to Spring Hill Graveyard and rest today in area of the cemetery set aside for their family.

Source: Alabama Historical Commission Cemetery Registry

Spring Hill Graveyard Marker view looking south on Dilston Ln. with cemetery to the west. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, June 28, 2026

4. Spring Hill Graveyard Marker view looking south on Dilston Ln. with cemetery to the west.

CR.Mobile County.Spring Hill Graveyard.2009_030.pdf accessed 6/28/2026 AHC Interactive Preservation Map online., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Hill_(Mobile,_Alabama) and other references.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2026, by Jim Ellis of Theodore, Alabama. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 28, 2026, by Jim Ellis of Theodore, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.