History

About Riverside Cemetery

history_01Riverside Cemetery is a historically significant area, established as a private entity in 1887 and operated since the late 1940's as a not-for-profit cemetery managed for the benefit of its property owners. Located just off Riverside Drive above the Ocmulgee River in Macon, Georgia, the 125-acre area is the final resting place of nearly 17,000 people including Civil War veterans, esteemed civic and business leaders, renowned educators, religious leaders of several faiths, military and prominent Macon families. The beautifully landscaped cemetery continues to grow, adding new areas for family and individual interment. Click Here for more information.
 

Cemetery Features

history_mpmA peaceful cremation garden is located on an acre of terraced hillside, offering yet another interment option. In this garden, one's ashes may be buried in the ground or sealed inside an upright stone or memorial bench in the garden.

The picturesque cemetery features distinctive family mausoleums, a 300-crypt Macon Public Mausoleum, Camellia Mausoleum – where crypts and niches are still available, beautiful Italian marble & granite statuary, obelisks, and memorials scattered across gently rolling hills. Trees and flowering plants add color and natural beauty to the Civil War earthworks, preserved in the original plans. The earthworks was used as a field fortification built to protect the city from General Sherman and his Union forces on their infamous March to the Sea.

 

Record Keeping

Careful records, including thousands of obituaries have been kept and maintained since the cemetery's inception in 1887. Genealogists, family members and interested others can access information and gravesite photos of individuals interred at the cemetery by searching on our database. There is no charge for this service. Click Here to search our database.
 

Design & Concept

history_vauxThe original charter of Riverside Cemetery was granted by the Superior Court of Bibb County on April 6, 1887. The first act of this board was to commission the renowned architect-landscape design firm headed by Calvert Vaux of New York to create the original design for Riverside Cemetery. A native of London, England, he came to the United States in 1850 to be associated with Andrew Jackson Downing and later with Frederick Law Olmstead. Calvert Vaux is remembered for his work with Central Park, Riverside Park and The Museum of Natural History in New York.
 

Management Records

Riverside Cemetery is a non-profit organization governed by the Board of Directors for the benefit of all lot owners. The Board of Directors presides over the cemetery and the president. The cemetery has been influentially managed by many of Macon's important founding fathers and buisness men and women.
 


Historically Significant

Riverside Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Department of the Interior on April 28, 1983.

Riverside Cemetery was listed in the Register because of the “architectural and historical significance of the property.”

The gatehouse, which serves as the main office for the Cemetery’s operations, was built in 1897 under the direction of Architect-Engineer Peter E. Dennis. The gatehouse is a rare and unique example of Old English half-timbered construction.

Available Plots and Spaces

Though Riverside Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places, it is a modern and active cemetery. We have many plots and spaces still available in our mausoleums, cremation gardens, traditional lots sections, and estate lots in the new Gardenia section.