A Hillside Set Apart
for Remembrance
The name was chosen deliberately — a reference to the estate of George Washington, and an expression of the founders' belief that this ground should honor not just the prominent, but all who had contributed to the life of the community.
"Seventeen names carved in granite — a county's grief made permanent."
Timeline of
Significant Events
Consecration & Founding
In the spring of 1864, Reverend Thomas Aldrich consecrated a forty-two-acre hillside overlooking the valley as a permanent burial ground for the surrounding community. A consortium of seven founding families — the Hargroves, the Vanes, the Aldriches, the Morrisons, the Caldwells, the Praters, and the Elliotts — signed the founding charter and contributed the land.
The Original Plot Fills
Within four years of opening, the Original Plot — the northeast quarter of the grounds — had received more than two hundred interments. The founding families commissioned a local stonemason, Ezra Whitfield, to carve the first permanent stone markers, many of which still stand today.
Civil War Section Established
As the nation mourned its dead, Mt. Vernon Cemetery set aside a dedicated section for soldiers lost in the Civil War. Seventeen men from the surrounding county were interred here between 1862 and 1865. A granite obelisk, erected by public subscription in 1866, marks the section and bears all seventeen names.
The Hargrove Mausoleum
Colonel Elias Hargrove, one of the county's most prominent citizens, was interred in a family mausoleum constructed at the cemetery's highest point. The structure, built of locally quarried limestone, remains the most architecturally significant monument on the grounds and is visible from the main road.
The Eastern Grove Donated
Upon her death, botanist Margaret Elspeth Vane bequeathed the eastern grove of white oak trees to the cemetery in perpetuity. Her will stipulated that the trees should never be felled, and that the grove should remain open to visitors for quiet contemplation. The grove now shades the oldest section of the grounds.
Expansion & New Sections
The cemetery board voted to expand westward, adding twelve additional acres and establishing three new sections: the Garden Section, the Hillside Section, and the Veterans' Section. A new stone gatehouse was constructed at the main entrance, replacing the original wooden gate.
World War II Memorial
A second veterans' memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 1944, honoring the men and women of the county who served in the Second World War. The memorial, a bronze tablet set into a fieldstone base, was funded by the local American Legion post and the cemetery association.
Listed on the State Historic Register
Mt. Vernon Cemetery was formally listed on the State Historic Register, recognizing its significance as a cultural and historical resource. The designation brought new resources for preservation and restoration, including the stabilization of more than sixty deteriorating stone markers in the Original Plot.
Genealogy Archive Established
The cemetery association partnered with the county historical society to digitize burial records dating to 1864. The resulting archive — more than four thousand records — is now available to researchers and family historians, making Mt. Vernon one of the most thoroughly documented rural cemeteries in the region.
A Living Landscape
Mt. Vernon Cemetery continues to serve the community as both an active burial ground and a place of historical memory. The grounds are maintained by a dedicated staff and a volunteer preservation committee. Visitors are welcome year-round, and the cemetery hosts an annual Heritage Walk each October.
Forty-Two Acres,
Nearly Two Centuries
The grounds of Mt. Vernon Cemetery today look much as they did a century ago — the same oaks, the same stone walls, the same quiet hillside. What has changed is the depth of the record: more than four thousand lives documented, preserved, and accessible to those who come seeking connection to the past.
Notable IntermentsResearching Your Family?
Our genealogy archive holds records dating to 1864.