Welcome To The
Graceland & Bellwood City Cemetery
When Pine Bluff was
a small village of only a few souls, a cemetery was started on the
edge of town in the blocks on the north side of Commons (West Fourth
Avenue) between Main and Chestnut streets. Other graves were found
outside of this area from time to time. Apparently burials were made
on the property without the owners consent. After General Yell and
General James bought the unsold land in Old Town, they asked that
the old graveyard be moved. The City of Pine Bluff bought forty
acres from George A. and Louisa B. Worthern, May 6, 1860. The
cemetery was named Bellwood after M.L. Bell, probably because of his
efforts in obtaining the land. (Excerpted from Pine Bluff and
Jefferson County, a Pictorial History by James Leslie)
Since then about 60 acres
has been added to the cemetery. Today a space 4 foot by 10 foot
sells for $400.00. We have approximately 1450 available spaces at
this time, with additional 5472, or 456 lots under development.
In 1920 Graceland
Investment Group owned and sold stock in the cemetery. When
Graceland Investment went bankrupt the state assumed
responsibilities for the cemetery. The City purchased the cemetery
from the state.
There are several
important people buried here that influenced politics and inventors
that made life better for us.
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