Old English Cemetery NC
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Description: Old English/Freedman’s Cemetery, situated at 220 N. Church Street, spans 1.4 acres. The Old English section, conveyed to the City in 1794, is now a historic site and no longer used for burials. Its inaugural documented interment dates back to 1775, with Cpt. Daniel Little resting here. Legend has it that British soldiers, having succumbed during the army's passage through Rowan County in early February 1781 during the “Race to the Dan,” were also laid to rest here. The cemetery further holds the remains of esteemed community figures, Confederate soldiers, and North Carolina's inaugural Confederate Governor, John Ellis. Between the Old English cemetery wall and Liberty Street lies the Freedman’s Cemetery, where 150 known and unknown African-American individuals—both enslaved and free, men, women, and children—have found their eternal rest. Regrettably, parts of this cemetery have been desecrated, with bodies disturbed and markers removed. In 1975, the City of Salisbury took over ownership, officially closing it for future burials. In 2005, a memorial was erected and dedicated to honor those interred. Their names and dates are inscribed on the memorial wall.