Near Thomasville in Clarke County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Airmount Grave Shelter And Cemetery
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
1. Airmount Grave Shelter And Cemetery Marker (Front)
Front:
This Greek Revival style brick structure is known as the Hope Family Grave Shelter. Constructed in 1853, it is listed on the National Register of Historical places. The unusual splayed eaves and vaulted or “compass” interior ceiling can be traced to Eastern Seaboard church yards in Delaware and Virginia, and this is believed to the only grave shelter of its type in Alabama. The shelter covers graves of six members of the family of John Hope, who donated the fenced area of the cemetery and the adjoining site of Airmount Church to the Presbyterian Church of the Confederate States of America in 1862.
(Continued on other side)
Reverse:
(Continued from other side)
Graves in the fenced area of the cemetery date from the 1840s and contain family names of Hope, Houston, Murley, Gildersleeve, Easterling, Kennedy, Champion, Jones, Baugh, Steed, and Lowry.
Restoration of the shelter was completed by Charlie Bulloch of Greene County in 2002 through efforts of the Clarke County Historical Society, the Thomas L. Turner Charitable Trust, the Alabama Historical Commission, the Hope family, Louis M. Finlay,
this page online
Erected 2010 by Clarke County Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1853.
Location. 31° 58.084′ N, 87° 40.164′ W. Marker is near Thomasville, Alabama, in Clarke County. It is on State Highway 5 one mile south of State Route 25, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Thomasville AL 36784, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. 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 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pine Hill, Alabama (approx. 4.9 miles
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
2. Airmount Grave Shelter And Cemetery Marker (Reverse)
Also see . . .
1. Clarke County Alabama website. (Submitted on September 26, 2011, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)
2. Wikipedia entry on the Airmount Grave Shelter. (Submitted on April 19, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
3. Airmount Grave Shelter And Cemetery Marker (Northbound view)
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
4. Airmount Cemetery entrance and marker
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
5. Airmount Cemetery and shelter in the distance toward the back of the cemetery.
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
6. Airmount Grave Shelter side view.
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
7. Airmount Grave Shelter
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
8. Inside view of the Airmount Grave Shelter.
Photographed by TRCP Alliance, September 25, 2011
9. Grave site of Archibald H. Hope, May 20, 1823 – September 26, 1850. Oldest burial in the shelter.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2011, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,704 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on September 26, 2011, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
