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Cemetery for former slaves goes unnoticed among Buckhead homes

Audrey Collins looks down at her grandmother’s headstone on Sunday, June 14, 2015, in Atlanta. It wasn’t on her ancestor’s grave. Rather, it was leaning against a tree. Collins could not find a headstone for her brother who died in infancy, or for her grandfather. And when she spotted a pile of broken headstones in the woods, she became upset and ran. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL

Credit: Branden Camp

Credit: Branden Camp

Audrey Collins looks down at her grandmother’s headstone on Sunday, June 14, 2015, in Atlanta. It wasn’t on her ancestor’s grave. Rather, it was leaning against a tree. Collins could not find a headstone for her brother who died in infancy, or for her grandfather. And when she spotted a pile of broken headstones in the woods, she became upset and ran. BRANDEN CAMP/SPECIAL
By
Jan 6, 2017

More than 300 people are buried less than a mile south of Lenox Square, many of whom are former slaves.

In June 2015, one family — retired Atlanta police officer Richard Thomas and his cousins Audrey Collins and Earl Dillard — ventured out to Piney Grove Cemetery to find their relatives for the first time in years.

Collins spotted her grandmother's headstone leaning against a tree, instead of fastened to the ground like the others.

When she came across a pile of broken headstones, she refused to look at them and ran.

The cemetery dates back to 1826, and today the area is barely recognizable as a resting place.

Sam Massell — president of the Buckhead Coalition — believes the graves haven't been disturbed or paved over for any developments.

ExploreRead more about the mystery behind the cemetery in ruins on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.

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