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Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery
The largest civilian cemetery in the Southeast holds the history of famous and infamous alike.

In 1884, several leading citizens purchased 577 acres to open Atlanta's Westview Cemetery. The rolling terrain, part of which was a site in the Civil War battle of Ezra Church, became the final resting place for more than 100,000 people. Prominent locals buried here include Grant Park namesake L.P. Grant, author Joel Chandler Harris, High Museum benefactor Harriet High, Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler Sr. and Havertys founder J.J. Haverty. The cemetery's Westview Abbey mausoleum is one of the nation's largest, with more than eleven thousand crypts. Throughout its history, Westview dabbled in other business ventures, including a cafeteria, a funeral home and an ambulance service. And for decades, the cemetery's Westview Floral Company sold flowers to lot owners and local businesses, leading to its own advice column in the Atlanta Constitution. Author Jeff Clemmons traces the complete history of this treasured necropolis.

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Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery
The largest civilian cemetery in the Southeast holds the history of famous and infamous alike.

In 1884, several leading citizens purchased 577 acres to open Atlanta's Westview Cemetery. The rolling terrain, part of which was a site in the Civil War battle of Ezra Church, became the final resting place for more than 100,000 people. Prominent locals buried here include Grant Park namesake L.P. Grant, author Joel Chandler Harris, High Museum benefactor Harriet High, Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler Sr. and Havertys founder J.J. Haverty. The cemetery's Westview Abbey mausoleum is one of the nation's largest, with more than eleven thousand crypts. Throughout its history, Westview dabbled in other business ventures, including a cafeteria, a funeral home and an ambulance service. And for decades, the cemetery's Westview Floral Company sold flowers to lot owners and local businesses, leading to its own advice column in the Atlanta Constitution. Author Jeff Clemmons traces the complete history of this treasured necropolis.

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Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery

Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery

by Jeff Clemmons
Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery

Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery

by Jeff Clemmons

Overview

The largest civilian cemetery in the Southeast holds the history of famous and infamous alike.

In 1884, several leading citizens purchased 577 acres to open Atlanta's Westview Cemetery. The rolling terrain, part of which was a site in the Civil War battle of Ezra Church, became the final resting place for more than 100,000 people. Prominent locals buried here include Grant Park namesake L.P. Grant, author Joel Chandler Harris, High Museum benefactor Harriet High, Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler Sr. and Havertys founder J.J. Haverty. The cemetery's Westview Abbey mausoleum is one of the nation's largest, with more than eleven thousand crypts. Throughout its history, Westview dabbled in other business ventures, including a cafeteria, a funeral home and an ambulance service. And for decades, the cemetery's Westview Floral Company sold flowers to lot owners and local businesses, leading to its own advice column in the Atlanta Constitution. Author Jeff Clemmons traces the complete history of this treasured necropolis.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781626199675
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date: 04/02/2018
Series: Landmarks
Pages: 208
Sales rank: 1,043,004
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jeff Clemmons curates and guides walking tours of Atlanta's Midtown and SoNo districts and Westview Cemetery for the Atlanta Preservation Center. He also serves on the board of the Atlanta Preservation Center's auxiliary group, CIRCA, which offers its members private tours of some of metropolitan Atlanta's most interesting historic structures. Atlanta's Historic Westview Cemetery is Clemmons's second book. All of his research for it is housed at the Atlanta History Center.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction. The American Cemetery: A Historical Perspective 13

Part I The McBurney Era (1884-1930)

1 Grave Concerns 25

2 West View Cemetery Association 28

3 Digging In 31

Rest Haven 33

God's Acre 35

J.W. Pierce and Celebrity 38

The Battle of Ezra Church 43

Commemorating Ezra Church 45

A Confederate Monument 49

4 New Ventures 53

The Westview Floral Company 55

The Burford Holly 58

5 Dying to Get In 64

Irish Horse Traders (Irish Travelers) 70

Part II The Candler Era (1930-1952)

6 The Adair Affair 77

7 "Buddie" Candler 81

8 West View's Golden Age 86

West View (Westview) Abbey 89

9 A Grave Mistake 112

10 West View Becomes Westview 119

Part III The Bowen Era (1952-present)

11 Nonprofit Westview 129

12 A Changing World 136

13 A Family Affair 141

Westview Landfill, Inc. 142

14 The Business of Death 147

Epilogue 155

Notable Burials 159

Notes 179

Bibliography 193

Index 199

About the Author 207

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