Rose Hill Cemetery

Old Friend of the blog Michael Karpovage whose Pictorial Savannah map was highlighted here many years back has a new map of Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Georgia. This is “not just a cemetery map, but a passionately built tribute to the namesake and creative visionary behind the landscape”. Mr. Simri Rose was an urban planner, horticulturalist and historian who aided in laying out the City of Macon.

This cemetery was part of the Rural Cemetery Movement, establishing cemeteries as parks and escapes from the crowded nearby cities.

The map also includes the adjoining Oak Ridge Cemetery that was set aside for the city’s black population, segregated even in death. Famous people buried here include 4 of the 6 original members of the Allman Brothers Band, who are interred together in a family style plot.

The map has a “mushroom tour” of Allman Brothers sites that you can follow on a purple dotted line. The mushrooms are an homage to the psychedelic imagery of their 1970’s era.

Included in the tour are the graves of Elizabeth Reed and Little Martha as well as Phil Walden, co-founder of Capricorn Records. A few pictures from their album covers and publicity shots were taken here as well.

There is also a video tour that Karpovage narrates on his page. He takes you on his bicycle through many of the Allman Brothers sites as well as monuments to other significant residents such as Colonel Joseph Bond, whose original marble statue was confiscated en route to Macon and is now in a cemetery in Kentucky.