The Story
Also known as the Gainesville City Cemetery, Alta Vista is the largest and most storied burial ground in Hall County, with well over fifteen thousand graves spread across its hilltop grounds. Its most famous resident is Confederate General James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee's senior corps commander, who made Gainesville his home after the Civil War and was buried here following his death in 1904; his wife Helen, later appointed postmistress of Gainesville, lies beside him. Over time the city-run cemetery absorbed the older Woodlawn burying ground and took in relocated graves from the Thompson family plot.
About this site
Alta Vista Cemetery is a cemetery in Gainesville, Hall County. It is one of 66 cemeteries documented in Hall County, among 98 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 34.2895, -83.8388 near Gainesville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Two Georgia Governors (historical marker), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include Jesse Jewell, Dixie Hunt Hotel, and Hall County Jail.
This record is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
History
Also known as the Gainesville City Cemetery, Alta Vista is the largest and most storied burial ground in Hall County, with well over fifteen thousand graves spread across its hilltop grounds. Its most famous resident is Confederate General James Longstreet, Robert E. Lee's senior corps commander, who made Gainesville his home after the Civil War and was buried here following his death in 1904; his wife Helen, later appointed postmistress of Gainesville, lies beside him. Over time the city-run cemetery absorbed the older Woodlawn burying ground and took in relocated graves from the Thompson family plot.
Sources: findagrave.com
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