Fraternal Cemetery
Fraternal Cemetery (formerly the Pratt Mines Cemetery and United Mine Workers Cemetery) was established in 1881 and is located in Pratt City off of Sheridan Road on "Irish Hill" in North Pratt, close to Pratt Mine #1.
It is believed that the land for the cemetery was given to the fraternal organizations of miners at the Pratt Mines by Pratt Coal and Coke Company founder Henry F. DeBardeleben. The property abutted the slightly older 1.5 acre Greenwood Cemetery and was expanded later with the addition of the 13-acre Sam Foley Cemetery, developed by former groundskeeper Sam Foley.
The cemetery is entered through an arched gateway, erected in 1913 by a committee chaired by A. W. Dozier. A mausoleum structure, now dubbed "the gazebo" consists of two circular domes supported on a rectangular arcade four bays long by two bays wide.
Lands were added in 1898 and 1926 and for most of its early history the cemetery was maintained by local fraternal organizations who bought parcels. The Greenwood section was managed by D. A. Echols & John Angwin, funeral directors of Ensley. Many immigrants who settled the Pratt City area are buried here. The Pratt City Memorial Day Parades in the 1930s used to start at Pratt City Hall and end at the cemetery.
During the 20th century, the cemeteries fell into neglect. A group called the Friends of Fraternal Cemetery was formed in 1987 and carried out a few clean-up projects with support from local civic and fraternal groups. Since 2013 the Fraternal-Greenwood-Foley Cemetery Preservation Society has been working to secure funds and volunteers to maintain them.
Notable Burials
- Scotty Clelland (1873-1950)
- Robert Clelland (1903-1922)
- E. O. Crauswell (1847–1909), bloodhound trainer
- J. A. Givens (1860-1881)
- William Gould (1830-1912)
- Charley Graffeo (1884-1923), victim of the 1920s axe murders
- William Lambert (died 1892)
- John Meagher (1882-1919), general superintendent of the Pratt City mines
- "Three Italians", marks a grave shared by three boys who died shortly after arriving from Italy.
References
- "Fraternal Cemetery, Pratt City" in The Heritage of Jefferson County, Alabama (2002) Clanton: Heritage Publishing Consultants. ISBN 1891647547, p. 138
- Chambers, Jesse (March 22, 2013) "New group seeks to care for historic fraternal graveyards on Pratt City's "Irish Hill"." The Birmingham News
External links
- Fraternal Cemetery at Findagrave.com