Milledgeville in Baldwin County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Cedar Lane Cemetery

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

1. Cedar Lane Cemetery Marker

Inscription. In 1997 a cemetery restoration began here that triggered a movement to memorialize patients buried at state psychiatric hospitals nationwide. After discovering nearby neglected cemeteries interred some 25,000 people, members of the Georgia Consumer Council pledged to restore the burial grounds and build a memorial. A grassroots campaign raised funds to erect the adjacent gate and display 2,000 numbered iron markers displaced from graves over the years. A life-size bronze angel was placed 175 yards south of here to serve as a perpetual guardian.

Erected by Georgia Consumer Council.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1997.

Location. 33° 2.434′ N, 83° 13.25′ W. Marker is in Milledgeville, Georgia, in Baldwin County. It is at the intersection of Lawrence Road and Central Shop Road, on the right when traveling south on Lawrence Road. Cedar Lane Cemetery is south of Central State Hospital. Lawrence Road runs through a maintenance area for the complex, and past two state prisons. Central Shop Road and Cedar Lane Cemetery are just prior to third state prison. Central Shop Road is gated and closed at 6PM. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milledgeville GA 31062, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Antebellum Trail

and in the Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

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,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fort Wilkinson (approx. 0.6 miles away); Old Fort Wilkinson (approx. 0.7 miles away); Powell Building (approx. ¾ mile away); Milledgeville State Hospital (approx. ¾ mile away); Cornerstone/Auditorium Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Walker Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Green Building (approx. 0.9 miles away); Summer Home (of) Governor Herschel V. Johnson (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milledgeville.

Regarding Cedar Lane Cemetery. In 2005, the National Parks Service placed Cedar Lane Cemetery and other Central State Hospital cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places. Georgia is considered a pioneer in cemetery restoration and has spearheaded similar restoration projects across the country.

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

2. Cedar Lane Cemetery Marker

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

3. Cedar Lane Cemetery Marker

The marker and the entrance to the cemetery

Cedar Lane Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

4. Cedar Lane Cemetery

The 2000 numbered iron grave markers recovered from the cemeteries, where many were simply thrown in piles. They are reinstalled as a moving memorial to those whose remains they once identified.

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

5. Cedar Lane Cemetery

Another view of the 2000 numbered iron grave markers and a bench installed for a visitor to sit and contemplate the scene. One of the prisons adjoining the cemetery is visible in the distance.

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

6. Cedar Lane Cemetery

One of the few stone grave markers, now broken, in the cemetery, although so many are buried here. Another prison stands in the background.

Photographed by David Seibert, November 8, 2010

7. Cedar Lane Cemetery

The life-sized bronze angel was installed to serve as a perpetual guardian for those buried here. The names of 25,000 people believed buried here were written on a CD, which was placed in the concrete base of the angel.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 2,907 times since then and 63 times this year. Last updated on March 23, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on December 2, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.