Rose Hill was the third cemetery established in Macon, after Fort Hill and the Old City Cemetery. Simri Rose (1799-1869), a Macon pioneer who helped in the planning of the city, was given a burial site of his choosing in return for designing the new cemetery. It was named in his honor. [NOTE: The images that accompany the text are randomly chosen. I plan on a much more extensive documentation of the cemetery this fall and will update here at that time.]

Rural, or garden, cemeteries in urban centers were growing in popularity in the mid-19th century and Rose Hill may be one of the first of its kind in the Southeast. In describing the cemetery’s location to the city council, Simri Rose, who had a horticultural and aesthetic background, wrote, in part: …situated about a half mile above the city on the banks of the Ocmulgee River, mostly on elevated ground, the highest point being 142 feet above its bed. Its entrance is through a lofty arched gate, constructed after the Doric order of architecture. The area of ground comprised within the enclosure is about 50 acres. Another spot could scarcely be found in any section of our country so much diversified, and comprising so many distinct objects and combinations going to form a perfect picture of rural beauty.

Rose continues: Many who have visited the cemeteries of the North, and even the far famed Mount Auburn, think it far inferior in natural beauty and location to Rose Hill. A prominent feature in its scenery is the Ocmulgee River, along which it extends nearly half of a mile. The banks are from thirty to sixty feet high, and generally rocky and precipitous, and form an impenetrable barrier to its approaches. The higher parts of the ground are nearly level, and laid out as places of interment; other places have been selected by many in the wildest parts almost overhanging the deep valleys. From the river deep and narrow dells penetrate the ground from fifty to two hundred yards, one of them divides it entirely near its center, through which a rivulet murmurs over a steep and rocky bed to the river. This is supplied by four springs, one at the head, outside the ground and three within it. The water of one is reputed to be the coolest and purest in this vicinity. It is most beautifully located, and is the most attractive spot for visitors...

During the Civil War, Macon was second only to Richmond in numbers of wounded soldiers in Confederate hospitals. Many of those men were buried near the places they died and the Macon Ladies Association facilitated their reinterment at Rose Hill in 1866.

The cemetery has grown over the years, and now records over 14,000 gravesites.

Governors of Georgia [including several county namesakes], Confederate Generals, and numerous other politicians and prominent business leaders are buried here. As the final resting place of several members of the Allman Brothers Band, Rose Hill has become a secular shrine, and one of the most visited places in Macon.

The roads that lead down to the river are quite steep and narrow. It’s best to park near the entrance gate and walk, if you’re able.

National Register of Historic Places