Cemeteries of Towns County
Cemeteries across Towns County are important records of the people and families who shaped our community. From small family plots on mountain ridges to larger church and community cemeteries, these sites document generations of local history through gravestones, inscriptions, and burial traditions. They provide insight into settlement patterns, faith communities, military service, and everyday life in earlier eras. The Towns County Historical Society works to document, preserve, and share information about these cemeteries through research, mapping, photography, and public programs, while encouraging respectful visitation and stewardship so these places of remembrance remain protected for future generations.
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**Please Note: Some of these sites are on private property. We do not disclose the exact locations of any cemeteries. If you wish to visit a site on private property, we encourage you to obtain the property owner's permission first. For more information, view this handout from Georgia Department of Community Affairs on the FAQ of Cemeteries in Georgia.**
Alston
Located on private property in the Mountain Scene Community. The first known interment was Mrs. Henry Alston in 1845. There are 3 known interments.
Bell Scene
Located in the Bell Creek Community. The first known interment was Stephen Russell in 1922.
Boyd's Chapel
Located in the Hightower Community. The first known interment was Elizabeth 'Betsy' William Visage in 1853.
Brasstown
Located in Brasstown Community. The first known interment was Elizabeth Cook in 1845.
Burch
Located in the Sunnyside Community. This cemetery was formed when 330 graves from Old Burch Cemetery were moved to this location in 1941 when the TVA built Chatuge Dam, cutting off access from the original cemetery.
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The relocation uncovered notable anecdotes, including that Mr. Worth Hooper had been petrified from the waist up and that Mr. Canary McConnell, who had lost a leg and buried it in the cemetery, signed for permission for it to be moved, noting the relationship of the deceased as "owner".
Burrell
Located on private property in the Hightower Community. The first known interment was Elizabeth Ann Denton Burrell in 1900.
Carter
Located on private property in the Bugscuffle Community. The first known interment was Margaret Curtis Stroud in 1851.
Corn Family
Located on private property in the Hightower Community. The first known interment was Rev. John H. Corn, Sr. in 1875.
Cornerstone
Located in the Crane Creek Community. The church was founded in 1991, at which time several graves were relocated at the request of charter members, with the oldest being Bobby Ray Shook, 1957.
Edmonds
Located in the Upper Hightower Community. It contains the final resting places of the family of John Jackson Edmonds, who died in 1901, including several children graves.
Enotah
Located in the Fodder Creek Community. The first known interment was Dicy Hooper in 1847.
Gibson/Sims
Located on private property in the Bell Creek Creek Community. The first known interment was Nellie Pearl Sims in 1884.
Hunt
Located on private property in the Gumlog Community. The first known interment was Estalee Hunt in 1885.
Ivy Mount
Located in the Sunnyside Community. The first known interment was Capt. Henry Brown in 1845. After years of abandonment and being forgotten, a committee formed, comprised of Lisa Maxwell Taylor, Jerry Taylor, and Jason Edwards, to restore the cemetery. Together, they raised money to clean up the cemetery, fill in sunken graves, and replace missing headstones. They continue upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery today.
Jacks-Brookshire
Located on Jacks Gap. The first known interment was Solomon Jacks in 1869.
Kimsey
Documented as being in the Lower Bell Creek community by the TVA in 1941. No further information is known.
Laurel Hills Memory Gardens
Located in the Woods Grove Community. The first known interment was James Ryan in 1960.
Logan
Located on private property in Young Harris. The first known interment was Cynthia Largent Logan in 1854.
Lower Bell Creek
Located in the Bell Creek Community. The first known interment was Lucy Crisp Burch in 1843.
Lower Hightower
Located in the Hightower Community. The first known interment was James M. Osborn in 1852
Lyon
Located on private property in the Bugscuffle Community. The first interments were Margaret 'Peggy' Brown Lyon & Infant Lyon in 1863.
Macedonia
Located in the Macedonia Community. The first known interment was Rebecca Reece Jameson in 1850. It was formerly known as the Jameson Cemetery.
Many Forks
Located in the Gumlog Community. The first known interment was Milton Montcalm Brown in 1872.
Mount Zion
Located in the Mountain Scene Community. The first known interment was James Rutherford Wyly, Jr., in 1847.
Nicholson
Located on private property in the Fodder Creek Community. The first known interment was Walter Nicholson in 1859.
Nola Bowen Roach Memorial Cemetery
Located in the Scattaway Community.
Old Burch
Located on a secluded island in Lake Chatuge, this cemetery once contained over 300 graves. However, once the Chatuge dam was built, many of them were relocated to Burch Cemetery on HWY 288. Those that remain were not given permission for removal by the TVA. The cemetery was begun as the family cemetery of Jarrett Burch, Sr., who died in 1856. For more information, click here.
Old Macedonia
Located on a hill behind Macedonia Church in the Macedonia community, these 36 graves were first documented by the TVA in 1941. No records of names or dates are known of those buried here, and only field stones marked their graves. In 2025, the church relocated the graves to the current Macedonia cemetery in preparation for an expansion project. This allowed the cemetery to no longer be forgotten about. Along with the original fieldstones, a new granite marker correlating with the number given to each grave by the TVA was placed when they were moved. A monument was also placed on the new location explaining why they were there and includes the original survey map by the TVA.
Old Smyrna
Located in the Tate City community. The first known interment was Jacob L. Eller in 1881. The most notable is JB Goddard.
Old Union
Located in Young Harris. The first known interment was William Jeremiah Daniel in 1840. The most notable are Zell Miller and Byron Herbert Reece.
Osborn
Located in Hiawassee. The first known interment was Julian E. Osborn in 1857.
Pine Grove
Located in the Scattaway Community. The first known interment was Abraham Hyter Bowen in 1890.
Pleasant Hill
Located on private property in the Crooked Creek Community. The first known interment was Adley Hooper 1877.
Russell
Located on private property in the Cedar Cliff Community. The first known interment was Arminta Matilda Russell in 1851.
Solomon Smith Corn
Located on private property in the Hightower Community. The first known interment was Homer E. Corn in 1879.
Tate City
Located in the Tate City Community. The first known interment was John A. Nichols in 1892.
Upper Hightower
Located in the Hightower Community. The first known interment was Lanceford Cantrell in 1850.
West Union
Located in the Byers Creek Community. The first known interment was PFC Roy W. Hooper in 1944.
Wilson
Also known as the Rogers Cemetery as documented by the TVA, since it was owned by the Rogers family in 1941. It is located in the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. The first known interment is unknown. It was the family cemetery of William Wilborn Wilson, who left the area for Kansas in the early 1880s.
Woods Grove
Located in the Woods Grove Community. The first known interment was John McClure in 1840.
