Rest Haven Cemetery is part of Alpharetta’s history

Rest Haven Cemetery in Alpharetta is unusual for several reasons.

First, it is one of the few cemeteries in Georgia owned by a municipality. Second, it is in the heart of the city across Milton Avenue from Innovation Academy, a new STEM high school. Third, even though it is not full, it does not sell any new plots as explained below. Finally, it is closely associated with the early history of Alpharetta.

A farmer and prominent local citizen Arthur Tarpley Camp (1800-1868) purchased several 40-acre parcels of land distributed in the 19th century Georgia land lotteries. He paid $108, $100 and $350 for three lots from different sellers between 1836 and 1841. He and his sister Mary Camp Manning (1811-1900) sold 60 acres of land to Milton County in 1858. He donated two additional acres circa 1860 to the town of Alpharetta for the creation of a cemetery. Arthur is buried in the small, private Martin Cemetery in Alpharetta together with several other members of the Camp family. Mary is buried in Rest Haven along with nearly two dozen Manning family members.

Arthur Camp’s daughter Susan Camp Garrison (1822-1861) was the first person to be buried in Rest Haven. Her husband, Russell Davis Garrison (1818-1862), a blacksmith, joined the Confederate Army in March 1862 and was a second lieutenant in Company C of the Georgia 42nd Infantry Regiment. He died near Nashville of an illness in October 1862 and was buried in Rest Haven.

According to Find a Grave website, there are 1569 memorials, or grave markers, in the cemetery. The number is not precise because over the years many records have been lost or destroyed. There are numerous unidentified graves, some of which have a simple fieldstone. In times past the care of the cemetery was sometimes haphazard. A large, sloped area in the middle of the cemetery has very few markers which has led to some speculation over the years that African Americans may have been buried there in unmarked graves.

The cemetery is historically significant in part because some of Alpharetta’s prominent early citizens are buried there. Pat Miller, President Emeritus of the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society, who has some ancestors in Rest Haven, says there are eleven former Alpharetta mayors and 109 veterans from the Civil War through Vietnam interred there.

While it is not possible to mention all the pioneer families represented in the cemetery, a list would include Broadwell, Manning, Maxwell, Mayfield, Mosteller, Rucker, Skelton, Teasley, Webb and Wills.

Oliver Perry Skelton (1817-1896) was a physician who played an important role combatting smallpox during an outbreak in the 1860’s. He helped save Milton County records during the Civil War by hiding them in Elberton, Georgia. When he built his Greek-Revival house with a masonry foundation and 12 inch thick walls in 1856, Alpharetta was still called New Prospect Campground. When the name changed to Alpharetta two years later, Skelton was named the town’s first postmaster. In 1869 he was elected Milton County’s first Ordinary, a position similar to today’s county commissioner, according to local historian Connie Mashburn’s book Alpharetta, Milton County, the Early Years.

Connie tells fascinating stories of some of the early families. Isham Oliver Teasley, Jr. (1917-1944) loved airplanes and learned to fly at a young age. To impress the girls, he once landed a plane in front of the courthouse on Main Street in Alpharetta. He had a serious side as well and joined the 15th Airforce, a special unit established in 1943 by the Army Air Forces, headed initially by famed General Jimmy Doolittle. Oliver was a B-17 pilot and was shot down and killed in Italy in August, 1944. He was brought to his final resting place in Rest Haven in March, 1949. His great grandfather Isham HailyTeasley, Jr (1807-1883) owned a cotton gin and grist mill in Farm House, a predecessor community to Alpharetta. He donated property to build the First United Methodist Church in downtown Alpharetta. He and his wife Mary Maxwell Teasley (1803-1851) are buried in the Maxwell Family Cemetery in Alpharetta.

Someone once said that when graves are in disrepair, we lose a part of our history. In spite of the cemetery’s somewhat confusing past ownership, the city of Alpharetta has taken responsibility for maintaining the facilities. Today Rest Haven, sometimes called Alpharetta Cemetery, contains 6 ½ acres, of which the city owns four. A private company owned the cemetery but quit the cemetery business circa 1970s and transferred ownership to the city.

It appears to have been a handshake agreement. Thanks to a substantial gift from a now-deceased resident, the city created a special budget account for maintenance of the cemetery. Plots are no longer available, but individuals who already own plots can be buried in Rest Haven. From time to time funerals do take place. The city established a special committee consisting of the City Clerk, Director of Public Works and the Director of Parks and Recreation, supported by the City Attorney and Finance Director to oversee maintenance of the public areas of Rest Haven. Individual plot owners are responsible for the maintenance of their plots.

For information on cemetery maintenance, contact Lauren Shapiro, Alpharetta City Clerk, at LShapiro@ alpharetta.ga.us. To become involved in voluntary efforts to support the cemetery contact Pat Miller at ptatummiller@ gmail.com.

Bob is director emeritus of the Milton Historical Society and a Member of the City of Alpharetta Historic Preservation Commission. You can email him at bobmey@bellsouth.net. Bob welcomes suggestions for future columns about local history.