Columbia Cemetery

Columbia Cemetery (HM261X)

Location: Columbia, AL 36319 Houston County
Buy Alabama State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 31° 17.62', W 85° 6.868'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 478 views
Inscription

Houston County

Front

The Columbia Cemetery was started in the 1830s on land given
by Rev. Edmund Talbot. It postdates the abandoned Omussee
Creek Church Cemetery located a mile SW of here. A "public
Meeting house," which served as the Columbia Baptist Church,
was built on these grounds in 1834. Richard P. and
Sarah McGriff gave an early land addition on the north end
of the cemetery. In 1859, Nathaniel Ferris Oakley built a new
Baptist Church, which remained on these grounds until 1885.
In 1882, an extension to the north was made on land acquired
from Henry C. and Elizabeth McGriff. Wiley Brooks built the
"summer house" at the cemetery entrance in 1883. A perimeter
wrought iron fence was erected in 1883 and has been extended
over the years. In 1919, a land addition to the west was
acquired from Nora Davis Campbell. In 1932, the Protestant
Episcopal Church gave land to extend south to Church Street,
In 1983, the family of Marion L. and Viola H. Oakley gave a
land addition to extend the cemetery to the west.
(Continued on other side)


Rear

(Continued from other side)


Interred here are some of Columbias first settlers and many
others who shaped the towns long and storied history. Many
elaborate headstones adorn these grounds. The



oldest marked
grave is that of William J. McGriff, an infant who died on
June 10, 1839. Interred here are many soldiers of the
Confederacy including three members of the Columbia Blues who
were killed in the Battle of Seven Pines in Virginia. Many
veterans who served in the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII,
Korean War, and Vietnam War are interred here. Some gave
their life in service to their country. Many former state,
county, and town officials are interred here.
Captain Callie French Tomlinson of showboat fame on the
Mississippi and Ohio Rivers is interred here. Callie was the
first woman in the U.S. to earn both steamboat pilot and
captain licenses. She is honored in two national halls of fame.
In 2013, this became the first cemetery in Houston County
to be listed in the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.
Details
HM NumberHM261X
Tags
Year Placed2015
Placed ByThe Friends of Columbia and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, March 15th, 2018 at 4:02pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16R E 679465 N 3463682
Decimal Degrees31.29366667, -85.11446667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 31° 17.62', W 85° 6.868'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds31° 17' 37.2" N, 85° 6' 52.08" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)334
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Magnolia, Columbia AL 36319, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?