The 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.