Cedar Hill Cemetery - Green Hill Cemetery, Suffolk Virginia

Date added: October 25, 2023 Categories: Virginia Cemetery

Looking northwest from Cedar Street and Forth Avenue (2004)

Cedar Hill Cemetery was developed in 1802 as a public cemetery in the city of Suffolk. The cemetery originally served the Union Church, a non-denominational church constructed by the city of Suffolk. The Union Church was removed from the cemetery grounds in 1872 and the cemetery was expanded through the 19^th Century to its current size in 1910. The cemetery has a grid plan and lies on an elevated landmass planted with cedar trees north of the downtown. The funerary markers located within the cemetery reflect varying types of mausoleums, tombstones, and tombs found during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. It is the final resting place for Suffolk's prominent citizens and continues to be used as burying ground for Suffolk's citizens.

Cedar Hill Cemetery is a planned cemetery lying north of the heart of Suffolk at the approximate midpoint of downtown Suffolk and the Nansemond River, east of North Main Street. The cemetery dates to March 1802 when it was part of the Union church. At this time, the Town of Suffolk purchased two and one-half acres of land from John and Elisabeth Mezick for the erection of a "chapel and burying place." Cedar Hill Cemetery is located on lands of the former 20-acre Constantia farm. John Constant owned the lands and had constructed a house in 1720. The church operated as a community chapel, and served many religious denominations. The burying ground around the church was used by people from various religious and ethnic backgrounds. The cemetery was enlarged through the 19^th Century to 1910 and its current size and configuration.

This early period in Suffolk's religious history marks the escalation of diverse religions within the area. The Anglican Church, which was formerly located at the intersection of the present day Church Street and Western Avenue, had been abandoned by the end of the Revolution. The acquisition of the site and erection of the chapel allowed people of various religions to congregate at a non-denominational meeting house. In addition to people of various religious backgrounds, the chapel was open to people of varying races and provided segregated services. The grounds around the chapel were used as a communal burying ground. The cemetery provided burial space for Caucasians, African-Americans, and indigenous Indians. In the mid-19^th Century, the cemetery provided space for Union and Confederate soldiers.

As denominations grew within Suffolk, they built their own churches. Burials were not permitted on individual church sites and Cedar Hill Cemetery was continually used as a municipal burying ground. In 1872, the Union Church building was removed to Pine Street by the Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church. The cemetery was known as "Green Hill Cemetery" in the 19^th Century and was comprised of approximately five acres. The lands surrounding it were primarily open except for the house lots on the east side of Main Street. The former Suffolk and Edenton Narrow Gauge Railroad, whose north terminus was located at Main Street and the Nansemond River, was oriented north-south and paralleled Main Street through Suffolk. The railroad was east of the early cemetery. Access to the cemetery was via Second Cross Street.

The cemetery grew through the remainder of the 19^th Century to its current size by 1910. The cemetery was located northeast of the townhouse and office lots of J. R. Kilby. The Kilby family occupied the house lots south of Second Cross Street on the east side of Main Street southwest of the cemetery. Kilby was the first superintendent of the cemetery in the late 19^th Century.

The grave markers within the cemetery date to the early 19^th Century through the present day. Pre-Civil War markers are mostly plain limestone slabs with articulated tops. Most feature a typical curved motif with inscribed names and death dates. Others have birth dates as well as an inscription of age or religious or secular writing. Post-Civil War markers are more evocative of the Victorian era in cemetery monument style. Those of the immediate post-Civil War period feature similar characteristics to their antebellum predecessors. Monuments marking Civil War dead feature cast- and wrought-iron crosses and cannonballs stacked in a pyramid form. The Victorian-era monuments are more sculptural with carved figures, obelisks, crosses, and treestones. Most are limestone, while some are sandstone, marble, and granite.

Most of Suffolk's prominent deceased residents are buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery. Some people of note are Amadeo Obici, founder of Planter's Peanuts, who was buried at the cemetery for a short while until Obici Hospital was completed and he was re-interred at the completed hospital. Mills Edwin Godwin, Jr. (1914-1999) was a former member of the Virginia State House of delegates (1948-1952), member of the Virginia State Senate (1952-1962) Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1962-1966), twice Governor of Virginia (1966-1970 and 1974-1978) is interred at the cemetery. Edward Everett Holland (1961-1941) who was a Suffolk native, Mayor Suffolk (1885-1887), member of the Virginia State Senate (1907-1911), U.S. Representative from Virginia in the 2^nd District (1911-1921) is interred at the cemetery. John Richardson Kilby (1819-1878) was a Delegate of the Virginia secession convention (1861) is interred in the cemetery.

In addition to significant individuals buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, there are monuments that have a high level of artistic character. The following monuments are located within the cemetery boundaries:

Confederate Monument:

This monument was commissioned by Colonel Thomas W. Smith and dedicated on 14 November 1889. Smith commissioned the monument in memory of the soldiers he fought with during the Civil War. The granite monument was constructed by John P. Hall Co. of Norfolk, Virginia and the bronze solider was cast in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During the dedication, the guest of honor and keynote speaker was Governor Fitzhugh Lee.

World War I Monument:

This monument was originally located at the intersection of North Main Street and Milner Street. Commissioned in memory of World War I veterans by the American Legion, the monument was dedicated on 11 May 1931. The construction of the monument was lead by Dr. F. Whiney Godwin. Funding for the monument was raised from individual and organization donations. The figure, the doughboy at Rest, was sculpted by Joseph P. Pollia, a sculptor from New York. Increased traffic led to the relocation of the monument to the entrance of the cemetery.

The current cemetery form has been retained since 1910 and is in continued use.

Site Description

Cedar Hill Cemetery is a city-owned, 25-acre, public cemetery dating to 1802. It is situated on an elevated hill planted primarily with cedar trees. The cemetery was expanded throughout the 19^th century to its current size in 1910. The original portion lies at the approximately southeast end. The first phase of its expansion was to the north. The second expansion phase was to the west on a flat landmass at the bottom of the hill. The plan is a traditional grid with regularly sized plots laid primarily east-west, though the earlier part of the cemetery reflects a more flexible plan with larger and smaller rectangular-shaped plots. The cemetery features some land alteration, including the grading of the west slope of the hill in a stepped pattern for burials. Grave markers within the cemetery date from the early 19^th century to the present day. The earliest markers are plain, while the mid-to-late-19^th century markers exhibit high craftsmanship through statuary and traditional funerary motifs.

This cemetery is located in the city of Suffolk, approximately 2 miles from downtown Suffolk. The cemetery lies on the east side of North Main Street on an elevated landmass planted primarily with cedar trees. The site is bound by the CSX Railroad track right-of-way to the south and east, East Constance Road to the north, and the east side of the house lots situated on the east side of North Main Street on the west.

The cemetery is organized with a traditional grid pattern. There are three distinct sections within the cemetery, which reflect the development and expansion of the cemetery from its original creation in 1802. The oldest section is located at the south end at the top of the hill east of the east terminus of East Mahan Street; additional lands were added to the north and then to the west of the lands added to the north. All sections retain the grid pattern, though the oldest section's grid pattern is slightly modified with intersecting lanes and irregularly shaped plots. The two later sections have regular grid patterns with equal or similar-sized plots. The west slope of the hill is stepped in a north-south orientation to accommodate burials.

The oldest section is located on the highest point within the cemetery east of east Mahan Street that serves as the entrance to the cemetery. At the base of the west side of the hill are three mausoleums; the Brewer-Godwin mausoleum, the Hill mausoleum and the Darden mausoleum. The Brewer-Godwin and Hill mausoleums are in the form of small Greek temples with rectangular forms and monumental porticoes. The Darden mausoleum is a domed, plain stone structure with a cast double-leaf, foliate-motif gate. To the south of the mausoleums is a pedestrian path with poured concrete stairs leading to the top of the hill. To the south of the path are additional graves with stone markers.

At the top of the hill there are irregular-shaped, rectangular plots. The plots are clustered within irregularly shaped blocks bound by wider lanes. These are predominately oriented east-west with intersecting lanes oriented north-south. The north-south lanes are named with numbers, and the east-west lanes are named for types of trees. The central lane is named Elm Street and is on axis with East Mahan Street. To the south is Holly Street and to the north are two parallel lanes, Cedar and Cherry Streets. Some family plots have metal iron fences with cast-iron posts and wrought-iron fencing and gates. Other family plots are surrounded by low brick wall enclosures. Some of these have been parged. The markers are cut stone; mostly limestone, marble and granite. The forms are simplified. The plots are mostly in an east-west orientation.

The second expansion of the cemetery occurred in the mid-19^th Century to the north and south of the first plan. Additional lanes oriented east-west were added to the south and north. At this time a unified naming of lanes occurred. East-west lanes were primarily named for types of trees, except for one lane named, Kilby, for the first superintendent of the cemetery. The north-south lanes were named First through Thirteenth Avenues. First Avenue is located on the west end of the cemetery at the hill's base. Second Avenue is located to its east at the top of the hill. Third through Thirteenth Avenues are located west to east, respectively, on the top of the hill. The monuments within this area date to the mid-19^th Century to early 20^th Century. Most are granite, sandstone and marble.

The last addition to the cemetery is a flat strip of land at the west end of the cemetery, north of the main lane leading to the cemetery. Two lanes were added, named Avenue "A" and Avenue "B". The lots are rectangular and are divided by the perpendicularly oriented Sycamore Street. The monuments in this area date to the early 20^th Century to the present day. The developed landscape features, plantings, and fountain with the cemetery comprise one site within Cedar Hill Cemetery.

The monuments located within the earliest portion of the cemetery are primarily vernacular in style. Most markers are limestone, granite, marble, or sandstone. The most frequently seen marker type features a flat upright slab with a rounded top. The etching on the stone is simplified with the deceased's name, birth date, death date, and inscription. There are more ornately carved monuments within this area. More high-style monuments feature obelisk forms resting on pedestals or columnar forms with ornate tops. Family monuments are usually larger and feature the family name inscribed in raised letters at the base and individual family inscriptions on the sides of the monument. In addition to these forms, there are cross-forms. In the center of the oldest part of the cemetery is an inactive fountain cast in concrete. It has a simplified form and a circular plan. Adjacent to the foundation is a hand-operated well pump.

More ornate monuments are found within the cemetery primarily dating to the turn of the 20^th Century. These include monuments exhibiting statuary, carved foliate motifs, and urns. The Spivey monument is a tree stone featuring a tree trunk with woodsmen's tools applied to the front of the monument. The name Spivey is inscribed on the trunk near the base in a staggered script emulating the natural form of the branches of a tree. A scroll is carved on the trunk, which is inscribed with the decedent's name, birth date, death date and an inscription. Other markers with a foliate motif include those with urns filled with flowers. There are few figures reflected in the cemetery other than statuary. Two female figures are found within the cemetery. The most noteworthy is the Martha Jane Rountree, wife of J. W. Lassister, and William H. Smith monument, which features a female figure embracing an obelisk. The figure is draped in a flowing robe tied at the waist. The figure's left arm embraces the obelisk as she gazes westward with long flowing hair. Her right hand is missing. Another monument with a female figure is the Jacobs marker, which features a female figure atop a pedestal clutching a foliate spray in her left hand.

In addition to grave monuments, there are chest tombs. Most chest tombs date to the late 19^th Century and feature a stone slab resting upon a closed base of two feet in height. The decedent's name is inscribed on the slab with the birth date, death date and an inscription. A similar type of tomb is a flat slab laid on the ground. An early chest tomb is an 1869 brick tomb with a cast-iron slab. Cast iron is used infrequently within the cemetery and is also found on a cast iron pyramid form of cannonballs.

The mausoleums within the cemetery are primarily located at the base of the hill near the stairs leading to the top of it. The most prominent are the Darden (1938), Hosier, Hill (1933) and Brewer-Godwin. The Hill and Brewer-Godwin are located at the base of the hill north of the stairs leading to the top of the hill. The Darden mausoleum is located to the north of the Hill and Brewer-Godwin mausoleums, and the Hosier mausoleum is located atop the hill in the early part of the cemetery. The Hosier mausoleum has a brick form and is more simplified than the other mausoleums within the cemetery.

Within the cemetery boundaries there are two statues. The Confederate Monument is located within the earliest part of the cemetery. The World War I monument is located in the median of the entrance lane to the cemetery.

Confederate Monument:

The monument is comprised of a Confederate soldier dressed in a Confederate uniform standing atop a traditional rectangular base. The solider stands in repose with his hands resting on a rifle. The monument dates to 1889 and was designed by John P. Hall of Norfolk, Virginia. It is cast bronze.

World War I Monument:

This monument was originally located at the intersection of North Main Street and Milner Street. The figure, the Doughboy at Rest, was sculpted by Joseph P. Pollia, a sculptor from New York.

The cemetery has been enclosed with a late 20th-century metal fence. There are two entrances to the cemetery. The main entrance at East Mahan Street is located east of the World War I monument. The secondary entrance is at the south end at Prentis Street.