Maple Hill Cemetery — Attraction in Huntsville

I first visited Maple Hill Cemetery on the sad occasion of a burial for a relative. I have been back a number of times since then—sometimes for a visit to a grave, burials of friends and relatives, or just to see the trees blooming in the Spring.

This is a very large cemetery of approximately 100 acres and reportedly about 100,000 graves.

Visitors familiar with Huntsville's history will see many familiar names. The cemetery has been in use since at least 1822. Some of the land was likely used by one or more families prior to this date.

During the American War Between the States, Maple Hill Cemetery was the burial ground of about 200 unknown Confederate soldiers and an unknown number of Union soldiers.

Most of the Confederate soldiers are buried in the Confederate section marked by a large Confederate War statue. Union troops who died during the federal occupation of Huntsville are believed to have been buried in unmarked graves throughout the oldest section of the cemetery. Most of these graves were moved to Chattanooga National Cemetery in 1867.

Maple Hill is the burial site for numerous Congressmen and senators, military leaders, Confederate leaders, governors, and many early...

This is Huntsville's historic cemetery. Once a year there is a walk through with nearly 100 sights of citizens in period costumes telling stories of their times - politicians, Civil War soldiers, World War soldiers, a Madam, people of historically African-American significance, a movie star (Talulah Bankhead), etc., also traditional period music. There is simply too much to take in! But it is well worth a day trip (or even over night) to see. And the cemetery itself is...

Total RIP OFF, pun intended. You buy a plot, pay a bunch. Think you are done? No way! You have to pay a fee for a foundation, and if you don't bring you checkbook, you pay a CC fee on top of the fee! I'm sure there is an upcharge to dig the hole. Nickel and dime all the way. But that's the business model for this industry, take advantage of your...