the burial location for three hundred to five hundred slaves, along with family members of post-emancipation generations. Flat rocks and solid slabs of arched stone, and crudely etched, hand-cut, river-rock markers, are scattered throughout the cemetery, along with numerous unmarked graves. Prewitt family descendants, both black and white, are determined to keep up the cemetery and deal with the forces of man and nature that have damaged many of the markers.
Slave cemeteries are significant, yet largely forgotten, historic resources in Alabama. Many cemetery locations are unknown, and those that have been identified are often abandoned, neglected, and in peril. While the location of the Old Prewitt Slave Cemetery near Northport has been known for generations, it is still endangered by nature, logging, isolation, and development pressures (the cemetery is located near prime lakefront property). During the 1820s plantation owner and slave trader John Welch Prewitt established the two-acre burial ground on his six-thousand-acre estate. Possibly the largest slave cemetery in Alabama, the Prewitt site became
the burial location for three hundred to five hundred slaves, along with family members of post-emancipation generations. Flat rocks and solid slabs of arched stone, and crudely etched, hand-cut, river-rock markers, are scattered throughout the cemetery, along with numerous unmarked graves. Prewitt family descendants, both black and white, are determined to keep up the cemetery and deal with the forces of man and nature that have damaged many of the markers.
15 Comments
Reba Taylor-Hill
12/11/2017 05:01:56 pm
Greetings,
Reply
4/23/2019 09:57:54 pm
You have probably found the info by now but it's located on the southern tip of old byler road where it dead ends at lake tuscaloosa, just east of where hwy 43 crosses lake tuscaloosa.
Reply
Stephany Pruitt
9/16/2019 03:55:48 pm
Are you family?
Stephany Pruitt
9/16/2019 03:38:07 pm
Hi, Daniel how do know about the where about of the site? Family up north
Reply
Carolyn Prewitt Sterling
8/6/2020 10:58:23 pm
My father Willie Ernest Prewitt Jr. before passing in 2005 use to help at the cemetery with cleanup and I have family members that’s at this cemetery also.
Reply
bruce haley
2/2/2021 11:41:07 am
my great great great grandfather wink burns and whole lot of other relatives are buried there,,,
Reply
Pat Kemp
4/21/2021 01:35:48 pm
Hello Kin Folks! I'm in the process of trying to find out how to get the cemetery cleaned-up and perpetual care provided/put in place. However, I haven't been able to find out who is the owner and/or has the responsibility for the cemetery. HELP!
Reply
Laura Stewart
4/5/2022 03:16:21 pm
I am a graduate student, and I am very interested in researching the Prewitt cemetery as a site of public memory--has anyone been to the cemetery recently? Have there been any developments on maintenance and access, and does anyone know who to contact about visiting the site?
Reply
donald prewette
6/27/2023 03:13:46 pm
have to immediate family members,you have to know someone are plantation is noyt open to the public. 11/2/2023 11:21:27 am
Good on you for your interest! Check this new development out! 6/18/2022 05:00:04 pm
The Prewitt Slave Cemetery Association was established in April 2022. If you are interested in supporting the association, please email us at prewittsc2022@gmail.com or visit our website for more contact information and reach out to us. We would love to hear from you and welcome all interest and support. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Reply
DONALD PREWITT
6/27/2023 03:19:52 pm
WHAT DO MYOU MEAN PREWITTSLAVE cemetaryassociation was established,never in a million years dont try to benefit our family history,you better not ,i will get youj for slander.
Reply
11/2/2023 11:22:55 am
https://www.wbrc.com/2023/10/30/supporters-hope-turn-alabamas-oldest-road-into-historical-tourist-attraction/ 11/2/2023 11:22:09 am
https://www.wbrc.com/2023/10/30/supporters-hope-turn-alabamas-oldest-road-into-historical-tourist-attraction/ ...awesome
Reply
Jill Nulle
1/27/2024 10:10:22 am
I’m a travel nurse in the area from Iowa and love civil war history is this cemetery open to public
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Alabama's Endangered Historic LandmarksEach year since 1994, Alabama Heritage has highlighted threatened historic sites throughout Alabama. The “Places in Peril” list has identified more than 215 imperiled historic resources throughout the state, and is compiled by the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. The locations highlight the results of deferred maintenance, perceived obsolescence, development pressures, and lack of funding—forces that now more than ever threaten our cultural legacy. But awareness is a powerful force, too, and can cultivate a renewed determination to be responsible stewards of our heritage. For more information, visit the AHC or the ATHP websites. Alabama Heritage is proud to bring to you a selection of the places designated as perilous. Please keep your comments to information relevant to the featured place in peril. Alabama Heritage reserves the right to delete any comment that we deem inappropriate. Archives
May 2023
|