Cemeteries in Columbia, SC
South Carolina’s Capital city is rich with history, and as in most big cities, much of that history is preserved in the cemeteries. Columbia’s cemeteries date back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Most of the earliest cemeteries were primitive, without adornment, and mostly located on the outskirts of the town. Few of the earliest cemeteries in Columbia hold stone memorials; instead, wooden tablets and other temporary treatments were used. For this reason, It is impossible to know just how many burials some of the earliest cemeteries hold.
In 1854, Elmwood Cemetery was established to give Columbians a proper place of burial. Many other cemeteries have been established since 1854, but Elmwood remains one of Columbia’s most notable and historic cemeteries.
Notable Cemeteries in Columbia, SC
Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery, more commonly now known as Elmwood Memorial Gardens, sits on more than 120 beautifully landscaped acres of land. The mid-19th century designers wanted to create a cemetery within a rural setting that required minimal development and preserved much of the heavily wooded, natural rolling land.
This “old section” of the cemetery is characterized by its elegant and ornate monuments that so well represent the style of memorialization common in the 19th and early 20th century. Many notable historical figures are buried here also.
The “old section” was a popular place of burial for 67 years until demand exceeded the developed cemetery. In 1921, a new lawn-park expansion was developed.
The “new section” of the cemetery is more heavily developed and features mausoleums and columbaria for community use. This part of the cemetery is still very active today - averaging over 100 memorials per year.
The cemetery is now owned and operated by Dignity Memorial - one of the world’s largest funeral home and cemetery corporations. In 1996, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
501 Elmwood Ave
Columbia, SC 29201
Fort Jackson National Cemetery
In the early 2000s, Congress directed a national demographics study that identified Columbia to be in need of a veterans cemetery. In 2008, land was donated by the U.S. Department of Defense and Fort Jackson National Cemetery opened for burials in 2009. The cemetery already holds over 11,000 memorials at the time of writing (2023). It has averaged around 1,000 burials per year over the past several years, making it one of the busiest cemeteries in the state.
4170 Percival Rd
Columbia, SC 29229
“Colored” Asylum Cemetery
This cemetery founded in 1910 for the burial of African-American patients at the SC State Mental Hospital has a controversial past. While the cemetery was only active for a short time at the turn of the 20th century, between 2,000 - 4,200 African Americans are believed to be buried here.
Despite major efforts to preserve and protect the historically significant cemetery in the early 2000s, a golf center was built over the site.
2091 Slighs Ave
Columbia, SC
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is one of Columbia’s oldest surviving places of worship and its no surprise that its cemetery is the final resting place to several notable historical figures like Poet Laureate of the Confederacy, Henry Timrod, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, James F. Byrnes.
1100 Sumter St
Columbia, SC 29201
Top 20 Cemeteries in Columbia, SC with the most burials:
Elmwood Cemetery - 24,030
Greenlawn Memorial Park - 22,276
Fort Jackson National Cemetery - 11,070
Crescent Hill Memorial Gardens - 7,126
Colored Asylum Cemetery - 4,220
Olympia Cemetery - 3,173
The Village Memorial Gardens - 2,587
Lincoln Cemetery - 2,278
Saint Peter’s Cemetery - 1,711
Memorial Gardens of Columbia - 1,441
First Presbyterian Churchyard - 1,358
Serenity Memorial Gardens - 1,250
Randolph Cemetery - 1,128
Geiger Avenue Cemetery - 1,029
Palmetto Cemetery - 971
*Source: 2023 find a grave sc
These cemeteries are an enduring part of the city’s heritage, and the memorials within them say a lot about its culture of remembrance. The importance of memorializing loved ones in a respectful and meaningful way is undeniable. Cemeteries, as a place of final rest and remembrance, are a natural and important part of the grief and healing process.
Famous Graves in Columbia, SC
Politicians & Judges
Alva Moore Lumpkin - Elmwood Cemetery
Ernest A Finney - Elmwood Cemetery
Benjamin Franklin Randolph - Elmwood Cemetery
Thomas James Robertson - Elmwood Cemetery
Duncan Clinch Heyward - Elmwood Cemetery
Christie Benet - Elmwood Cemetery
Milledge Luke Bonham - Elmwood Cemetery
Lee Atwater - Greenlawn Memorial Park
Matthew J. Perry, Jr. - Greenlawn Memorial Park
Albert William Watson Sr. - Crescent Hill Memorial Gardens
James Augustus Black - First Presbyterian Churchyard Cemetery
Franklin Harper Elmore - First Presbyterian Churchyard Cemetery
Abraham Nott - First Presbyterian Churchyard Cemetery
James F. Byrnes - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Richard Irvine Manning - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
William Campbell Preston - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Hugh Smith thompson - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Wade Hampton III - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Military & War Heroes
James Cordie Dozier - Elmwood Cemetery
Religious Leaders
Ellison Capers - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Athletes & Sports Stars
Walter Kirby Higbe - Elmwood Cemetery
Marvin Crosby “Moose” Bass - Greenlawn Memorial Park
Lillian “Fabulous Moolah” Ellison - Greenlawn Memorial Park
Mae Young - Greenlawn Memorial Park
Bob Hazle - Crescent Hill Memorial Gardens
Ricky Bell - Lincoln Cemetery
Authors & Poets
Malvina Sarah Waring - Elmwood Cemetery
Henry Timrod - Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Cemetery
Bronze Cemeteries
Several cemeteries in Columbia are bronze cemeteries which means that a memorial must be flat and made of the expensive material - upright monuments and headstones are not allowed.
Bronze cemeteries in Columbia include:
Greenlawn Memorial Park
Crescent Hilll Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum
Elmwood Memorial Gardens [bronze sections and upright sections]
While the memorials in these cemeteries are primarily flat bronze, they do offer community mausoleum and cremation garden options. Occasionally, a bronze cemetery may allow private mausoleums or other high-end family monuments in exclusive sections.
Notable cemeteries in surrounding areas include:
Sandy Level Baptist Church Cemetery - Blythewood
Spears Creek Baptist Church Cemetery - Pontiac
Bethel Lutheran Church Cemetery - White Rock
Richland County Cemetery - Pontiac
Mount Pleasant UMC Cemetery - Irmo
Salem UMC Cemetery - Irmo
Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery - Irmo
Saint Johns Episcopal Church Cemetery - Congaree
Conclusion
The cemeteries in Columbia serve many important purposes and hold significant meaning for the residents of the city and state. They offer a final resting place for the deceased, a place of healing for the living, and a window into Columbia's unique past and diverse culture. Without a doubt, these sacred spaces will continue to play a vital role in the community for many years to come.
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