Hall Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in Houston County, about a mile from his homestead, a man named Joshua James Hall set aside a piece of his own land for a burial ground. Hall was born in 1790 and lived until 1871, and whatever else you might say about the man, that decision he made has outlasted just about everything else connected to his name.

Now, the cemetery was already in use, already holding the dead, when three freedmen came to Hall with a request. French Taylor, Bob Denby, and Alf Warfield petitioned him for permission to bury their dead in that same graveyard. Think about what it took to make that ask, and what it meant to hear the answer.

Hall agreed. And from that point on, Hall Cemetery served both Anglo and African American settlers, side by side in the same ground. The earliest marked grave belongs to Mary A.

Sharp, born in 1843, laid to rest in 1876. The cemetery passed through several owners during the twentieth century, and by a count taken in 1997, there were twenty-nine marked graves and more than a hundred and five unmarked ones. More than a hundred and five souls whose names the ground is keeping to itself.

But here's the thing that lands hardest: descendants of those early settlers are still out there. Still caring for that land. Still tending what was started when one man said yes.

What the marker says

Joshua James Hall (1790-1871) gave a portion of his land on this site about a mile from his homestead to be used as a burial ground. Hall Cemetery was already in use when freedmen French Taylor (1842-1937), Bob Denby, and Alf Warfield petitioned Hall for permission to bury their dead in the graveyard. Hall agreed, and the cemetery was used by both Anglo and African American settlers. The earliest marked grave is that of Mary A. Sharp (1843-1876). Hall Cemetery had several owners during the 20th century. A 1997 count revealed 29 marked and more than 105 unmarked graves. Descendants of early settlers continue to care for and maintain the land. (1998)