This topographical map combined with the TOPOZONE mapping data shows the GPS of the Stanley Cemetery.
This road map shows the directions as about 10 miles east of Muscle Shoals on hwy 184 (2nd St). Take Hatton School Road off of 2nd St and go south or right. When the road curves the second time take the (private) field road on the right and follow along the tree line west, but a little northward back about 600 yards. When you come to the second thicket that spans in front of you go left circuling around the edge of the thicket to find an opening where briars are not prevalent. On your right is the thicket that contains the cemetery. Go around this grove of trees and go into the thicket on the north west side because the cemetery stones are close to the edge of the forest, by about 40 to 30 yards. Remember there are no trespassing signs on the premises there today that tells us permission is needed to visit this cemetery. There is also thought to be a slave graveyard back there in the same vicinity also in a grove of trees, but without marked gravestones. I think your best approach is to follow the yellow highlight I have outlined below and that will lead you to the cemetery.
To find this graveyard we would follow from (County Rd 67) Hatton School Road along the south side of the long black green thicket (dry creek) northwestward back into the field to where the red X is posted. The yellow pointer also points out an old two story Antebellum Mansion that stood here from 1840 to about 1970 when it finally collapsed of its own weight from neglect. There was a Dairy Farm here in the 1940s that was owned I believe by Sam Streit. A couple of big barns are still there today. However, we can loosely conclude that the Stanley family were the founders of this place in the 1840s. The Sam (1870 - 1955) Streit Family had it for a time in the early to mid 1900s. When we moved nearby across Jarman Lane in abt 1952 it had already fallen into the hands of renters who abused it, and it was in a state of decline. The floors became warped and the stairways became creaky and not stable. Its storied Civil War History can be told here. There was at one time a loose leaf history of this place in the Tuscumbia Library archives that I saw in 1990. As far as I can tell it no longer exists. It was not properly secured and fell into the wrong hands. (and we think archives are secure?)
black arrow points out the location of the cemetery from the south looking into the forest line. This is not the designated route shown above. but actually the closest if you have to walk there like I did.
Maps from Google & MS Streets 2005 modified for this site by Wayne Austin 12 Dec 2009. Revised 24 Nov 2012
