Beulah Church of Christ Cemetery
Why it's listed
Beulah Church of Christ Cemetery near Welcome, Davidson County, covers about four acres and holds roughly 400 gravestones, around 100 of them made by local craftsmen. The earliest legible death date is 1799, though some older stones can no longer be read. The burial ground belongs to a congregation founded by 1788 as Sauer's Church, when Philip Sauer (Sowers) gave land for a log church; the name changed to Beulah Church in 1851. The cemetery is notable for its decorative soapstone markers carved by local stonecutters, bearing folk symbols of resurrection and eternity. It includes sixteen Pierced Style stones, many Early Phase stones with monogrammed or sunburst tympanums, work of the Swisegood School, and the county's largest group by the Master of the Upper and Lower Case, including the 1857 headstone of Katharine Yonts. These stones are considered high points of folk art among the area's Anglo-German farming communities.
Significance in brief: The cemetery holds a unique collection of folk gravestones carved by local stonecutters in the late 18th and first half of the 19th century. The decorative soapstone markers, with folk symbols of resurrection and eternity, are described as the height of folk art among the Anglo-German farmers of north Davidson County. It has the county's largest group of stones by the Master of the Upper and Lower Case, plus notable Swisegood School examples.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84001995, listed July 10, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | SR 1457, Welcome |
|---|---|
| County | Davidson County |
| Listed | July 10, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001995 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | Various |
| Architect / builder | Stonecutters: Grier and unknown others |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a private, occupied cemetery owned by the church; condition marked good and unaltered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 35.88817, -80.27851 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84001995.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4899259
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.