Historic Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg in Mississippi is one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in the United States that is still in use today. In addition to the notable interment of a Confederate camel named Old Douglas, artists, politicians, authors, soldiers, and ministers are also among the people who are buried there.
Historic Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg
Soldiers Rest is a section of the cemetery which was set aside as the final resting place for approximately 5,000 Confederate soldiers of the Civil War who died of sickness or wounds.
The following words are on the historical marker which is located on the right side just north of the main entrance:
BURIAL SITE OF LYNCHING VICTIMS
On July 20, 1899, Giuseppe Di Fatta. Pasquale Di Fatta. Francesco Di Fatta, Giovanni Cerami and Rosario Fiduccia, all natives of Sicily, were murdered by a lynch mob in Tallulah. Louisiana. The murders triggered an international incident between the United States and Italy and President William McKinley, in his December 1899 State of the Union address, referred to the tragedy as “deplorable.” The guilty parties, however, were never punished. On July 28, 1899, the Italian Society of Vicksburg reinterred the victims’ remains here.
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY, 2021
A map of the cemetery — as well as street signs within the cemetery — help to easily locate graves and historic structures.
Many of the stones which mark the graves are themselves historic. Some of them are at least 200 years old.
Final Boarding Call
Give yourself at least an hour to see the historic structures and grave sites — including that of Douglas the Camel. You can look up the database of interments to search or see who is buried in the cemetery. A database of tombstones within the cemetery is also available.
Although other entrances are available, the main entrance to historic Cedar Hill Cemetery is located at the intersection of Mission 66 and Skyfarm Avenue in Vicksburg in Mississippi. Simply drive north past the entrance on Lovers Lane.
The gates to Cedar Hill Cemetery open daily at 7:00 in the morning and close at dusk. The speed limit of the cemetery is ten miles per hour. Please drive slower when road conditions are poor; and use extreme care at all times. No admission is charged to visitors; and no facilities are available. No parking lot is available at the grave sites; but parking near any grave should not be an issue.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
