Though I will always be of Wilson, I have lived in Atlanta nearly all of my adult life. It is very much “home” for me, too, and is a bottomless well of African-American culture and history that often informs the way I process research and work related to Black Wide-Awake and Lane Street Project.
I’ve begun visiting metro Atlanta’s historic African-American burial grounds. How have they weathered exploding population growth, shifting demographics, outmigration, land loss, and other pressures? The tenth in a series — Rev. Bill Allison Memorial Cemetery in South Fulton, Georgia.
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Named for the Fulton County chaplain who performed most of the burials here, this cemetery was founded as a potter’s field for black indigent county residents. The Paupers Graveyard was established at the former Negro Industrial Farm on what is now Fulton Industrial Boulevard and operated from 1934 to 1969.
The cemetery sits between the entrances to two industrial properties and is completely surrounded by them and fenced in. I didn’t try to get in. I’m not above a bit of trespass, but the cost-benefit analysis here stopped me from hopping over in broad daylight on a weekday.
The graves lie in long rows marked with small cement crosses.
Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, October 2026.