East Hill Cemetery, US civil-war-era cemetery
East Hill Cemetery is a historic burial ground spread mainly across Bristol, Tennessee, with a portion extending into Bristol, Virginia. The 16.7-acre site contains simple headstones from various periods and includes separate sections for soldiers and African American burials.
The site began burials in 1857, with official establishment in 1868 when merchant LaFayette Johnson purchased two acres to honor war dead and shape community memory. The Civil War left a significant mark, with approximately 200 Confederate soldiers interred here, many having arrived via rail from nearby battlefields.
The cemetery has been known by several names over the years, including Maryland Hill and Round Hill, reflecting its layered past. Today, visitors can observe how different communities - Confederate soldiers, early settlers, and African American families - rest alongside one another, showing the diverse foundations of the region.
The cemetery is accessible by small roads and easy to locate using local signs. Visitors should expect unpaved paths and varying conditions across the grounds, with some headstones weathered and difficult to read.
General Evan Shelby, a officer in the American Revolution, is buried here, linking the cemetery to early United States history. His son Isaac Shelby later became Kentucky's first governor, making the family significant to the nation's founding story.
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