AUSTIN CEMETERY (Spring Ave SW. Austinville) DECATUR, MORGAN COUNTY, ALABAMA

Mapping the Location
 

Area views of the Austin Cemetery 0050/0051/0052/00053/0054/0056/0057/0058/0059

AUSTIN, Francis A. , 2 Jul 1826 - 17 Dec 1878. (grave unmarked)
AUSTIN, Charles Henry,  abt 1861 - 21 Jul 1933, Age 72 (grave unmarked)
AUSTIN, Elizabeth Melinda Roper,  1862 - 11 Apr 1910. (grave unmarked)
AUSTIN, William F.,  1827 - 31 Dec 1878. (grave unmarked)
AUSTIN, Vandiver Lawson,  1835 - 25 Jun 1884. 0045L/0045/0048/0049
AUSTIN, Edward J., Sr.,  1891 - 1917. 0039
AUSTIN, Walter Lee,  26 Dec 1879 - 27 Nov 1900. (grave unmarked)
HUDSON, Charles,  no birth date given - 23 Jun 1902.  (grave unmarked)
WHITE, Elmyra A.,  1845 - 28 Nov 1908. 0043L/0043/0044
WHITE, James W.,  18 Apr 1842 - 25 Apr 1916.  0040L/0040/0041/0042
Broken and Lost parts of memorials lying here: 0046L/0046

This cemetery has a very large open area in the front and likely either there are a lot of unmarked graves here or there was a old church on the front side of the few remaining grave assets. When I visited this cemetery to photograph it in 2003 it was torn up with only one stone standing. I picked up a the small stones and reset them. Later the Decatur city took over and graded & mowed the site and added a protective fence along with appropriate signage so that it looks nice now. I still wonder who will restore the old eloquent Lawson Austin monument. All it needs is to level the base and then set/glue the other two parts on top that.

Every time I see destruction around a cemetery like this near a populated area I think of this scenario  & fictitious story.  Some of this may have happened here with the missing tops of tombstones: RogueTeen1 says to RogueTeen2 "If you want to be a part of my (gang) club you have to do this. Go to that graveyard over there and grab a tombstone and take it and dump it into the Tennessee River." RogueTeen1 then one night at midnight picks up RogueTeen2 and they drive over to the graveyard. They snatch up the top of a small marker and shove it into their junk car. Then they head off to the Tennessee River bridge where they stop and take it out and slide it off the edge of the bridge where it plunges into the dark river waters below. Back at school the next day they are bragging to all their cronies about what they did. Some are in awe, others in disgust, but no one rats on them. Now years later these two individuals consciences are haunting them for their bad choices, but they cannot correct this mistake. The stone is gone. The challenged one then drives to the bridge in his sports car one day after a dark moment in his life, gets out of his car and jumps to his death below near where the tombstone was thrown many years earlier. Of course the moral is - young people keep your conscience clean. Visit graveyards for the right reasons. [CWA 28 Jun 2013.]

Unrelated Decatur historic assets:
Decatur Alabama's most historic & recognized landmark - Old State Bank: 0104/0099/0109
Historic Marker indicating Alabama's first Railroad in 1830. 0300
The Vietnam Memorial recognizing those Decatur born who gave their lives for their country. If this memorial still stands I don't know where it is:  VietM12/VietM1/VietM21/VietM2
What? Old Burger King torn down? Yea, but they just moved south  1/2 mile some years earlier. Photo just before demolition 2006: 0890/After demolition: 0830 Yup! Its now a useful truck staging area.
Spotting the Kimbell/Wimbley Cemetery on ULV Property as you drive along Hwy 72. Visit here with corporate approval only: 0060


This Cemetery presentation is based on the photography of C. Wayne Austin on 15 May 2003. Uploaded here on 28 Jun 2013 after 10 years. It is also presented  on Findagrave.com with some family history and obituaries.  I am no close relation that I know of to these Austins.