The Story
Magnolia Cemetery in Thomasville, historically known as the Old Magnolia Cemetery and affectionately called the Flipper Cemetery, is a 19th-century burial ground long associated with many of the city's prominent African American families. Its most celebrated resident is Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper, who in 1877 became the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Flipper died in 1940 and was first buried in Atlanta, but his remains were returned to his Thomasville hometown and reinterred here beside his parents on February 11, 1978, following a service attended by a military honor guard from Fort Benning.
About this site
Magnolia Cemetery is a cemetery in Thomasville, Thomas County. It is one of 80 cemeteries documented in Thomas County, among 113 historic sites cataloged across the county on Georgia Roam.
The site sits at 30.8532, -83.9901 near Thomasville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Hebrew Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.2 miles away. Others within a short drive include B'nai Israel Synagogue and Cemetery, Flipper Cemetery, and First Black Graduate of West Point.
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
Magnolia Cemetery in Thomasville, historically known as the Old Magnolia Cemetery and affectionately called the Flipper Cemetery, is a 19th-century burial ground long associated with many of the city's prominent African American families. Its most celebrated resident is Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper, who in 1877 became the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Flipper died in 1940 and was first buried in Atlanta, but his remains were returned to his Thomasville hometown and reinterred here beside his parents on February 11, 1978, following a service attended by a military honor guard from Fort Benning.
Sources: en.wikipedia.orgvanishinggeorgia.comreflector.com
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