Methodist Church Cemetery
Why it's listed
Grass-covered and shaded by a grove of cedar and deciduous trees, the Methodist Church Cemetery lies two blocks south of the public square in Lincolnton. The first documented burial took place in 1828, after the death of the Reverend James Hill, minister of the Methodist congregation that worshipped on the site until 1920. Marble and granite gravestones mark the graves, among them a Greek Revival tablet carved by W. T. White of Charleston, South Carolina, for Martha Fulenwider, who died in 1855. Other stones were produced by Gaddess Bros. of Baltimore, Tiddy of Lincolnton and Charlotte, and Carolina Marble Works of Lincolnton. The cemetery was one of the town's few public burying grounds until Hollybrook Cemetery opened in 1905. Its marked and unmarked graves of African Americans, many with field stones or quartz rocks, form the earliest intact group of such burials in Lincolnton. The cemetery is valued for its funerary art and its record of church-based burial in the town.
Significance in brief: The cemetery is important for its collection of nineteenth and early twentieth century gravestones, which represent successive monument styles and include work by known carvers and marble yards. It is also tied to the town's history as one of only a few church-related public burying grounds before Hollybrook Cemetery opened in 1905, and it contains the earliest intact group of known African American burials in Lincolnton.
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 94001458, listed December 14, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of S. Aspen and W. Congress Sts., W corner, Lincolnton |
|---|---|
| County | Lincoln County |
| Listed | December 14, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001458 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1828-1944 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Other, Exploration/Settlement, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The former church building was demolished in 1963 and the site was merged with the cemetery; a filling station on the front lot is described as abandoned. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 35.46799, -81.25616 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 94001458.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q19881255
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.