Historic Southern Hills Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Etowah County, Alabama. In the early 1800s, historic Southern Hills Cemetery (also known as 6th Street Cemetery) was established as burial grounds for enslaved Africans. By the early twentieth century it became a leading cemetery for Gadsden’s African American community. In the late 1950s, an urban renewal initiative dislocated over 300 African American families near the cemetery. Soon after, Southern Hills suffered decades of neglect before coming under the custodianship of Grace Heritage Community Development.
Today, Southern Hills Cemetery is on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. Additionally, the cemetery is a member of the Alabama African-American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.
Grace Heritage Community Development 