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 — Old Eastview Cemetery in Rome, Georgia.

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Old Eastview Cemetery lies southeast of downtown Rome. Dating to at least 1919, the 16-acre privately owned cemetery holds more than 750 graves and is sporadically maintained with volunteer efforts.

A small sign at the intersection of Callier Springs Road and Lincoln Street signal Old Eastview’s location.

Monuments to the cemetery’s many veterans cluster near the front section.

Japanese stiltgrass is rampant and English ivy chokes nearly every tree.

Several of the headstones were locally made. I didn’t see any Eldren Bailey-made markers, but I didn’t venture deep into the cemetery.

Photos by Lisa Y. Henderson, August 2026.