
![]() Situated on a high bluff overlooking Lake Eufaula, sheltered by the moss-draped limbs of tall oak trees, the Shorter Cemetery sits on a five-acre plot near downtown Eufaula. The Shorter Cemetery is the burial place of Barbour County’s prominent Shorter family, whose descendants guided Alabama during its most challenging periods. John Gill Shorter, Alabama’s first Civil War governor, rose to political prominence during the 1850s, when he emerged as a fierce defender of slavery and advocate of economic development and diversification in support of southern nationalism. In the 1890s, Reuben F. Kolb, nephew of Governor Shorter and grandson of Reuben C. Shorter, patriarch of the Shorter family, rose to political power as an agrarian reformer. Denied the Democratic nomination for governor in 1890, Kolb ran again in 1892 and as a Populist candidate in 1894 on a platform to expand the political power of blacks and poor whites. This site is threatened by vandals, who have twice damaged the historic cemetery. Additionally, there is an urgent need to repair tombstones, statuary, brick walls, and wrought-iron fencing. The AHC is currently reviewing a nomination for the cemetery to be listed on the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register.
2 Comments
Cynthia Helmick-Davis
8/21/2016 02:31:36 pm
Please consider updating this article about Shorter Cemetery. Many groups in Eufaula have spent countless dollars and donated manhours to save this beautiful historic cemetery. Resting place of many 'first' Alabamians. Which included restoration of the African-American servants cemetery at this same location. It is truly a beautiful place - restored for future generations to enjoy. Thank you,
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8/21/2016 02:32:19 pm
Please consider updating this article about Shorter Cemetery. Many groups in Eufaula have spent countless dollars and donated manhours to save this beautiful historic cemetery. Resting place of many 'first' Alabamians. Which included restoration of the African-American servants cemetery at this same location. It is truly a beautiful place - restored for future generations to enjoy. Thank you,
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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
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