Elyton Cemetery

Elyton Cemetery, located at 425 2nd Avenue North near Arlington Home and Gardens, is known as the oldest cemetery in Birmingham. The land that the cemetery is on was purchased by Colonel John Dupuy in 1821 as part of a 40 acre tract of land. Colonel Dupuy bought the land from William Ely, for whom the city of Elyton was named. The cemetery was donated to the city of Elyton before Dupuy's death in 1956.

There are 112 burials recorded at this cemetery, the oldest belonging to a Mrs. Nancy Scott who died in 1834. Elyton Cemetery is the burial place of the first probate judge elected by Jefferson County voters, Joab Bagley and includes the headstone of large plantation owner and pioneer Williamson Hawkins. The last person to be buried in the cemetery was Agnes Nicholson on March 26,1919.

In the brick courtyard of the cemetery was a marble statue known as the "Laughing Girl", though it has not been seen intact since the mid to late 1970's. According to the Birmingham History Center, there is a chance that the statue was sculpted by Giuseppe Moretti.

The cemetery has a long history of neglect. As far back as 1891, area groups were raising money to clean up the plots, and the area currently lies in a state of disrepair.

References

• Satterfield, Carolyn Green (1976) Historic Sites of Jefferson County, Alabama. Birmingham: Jefferson County Historical Commission/Gray Printing Company
• Ellaby, Elizabeth (2013) "Moretti or Forget it? An Unidentified Artwork Wants to Know" 1807 Blog Avenue/ Birmingham History Center - Accessed December 29, 2013