Old Villa Rica Cemetery

History

Established in 1804, the Old Villa Rica Cemetery, also known as the Old Town Cemetery, is located near the corner of Highway 61 (Dallas Highway) and Punkintown Road. The cemetery is in the town's original location, known as Hixtown.  Villa Rica City moved to its present-day location when the railroad was constructed in the 1880s. Those buried at the cemetery include early town leaders, original Villa Rica settlers, and nine Civil War veterans.

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Old Villa Rica Cemetery has a family plot layout; this type of layout arranges graves by family affiliation. According to a statement by Villa Rica resident Kate Hamilton Nunley, the cemetery was created and used by the 'Old Town Church.' This church once sat near the cemetery and was used jointly by three denominations: Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist. One denomination would hold services on one Sunday, the next denomination on the following Sunday, the next denomination on the following Sunday, and jointly on the fourth Sunday. 

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Local historian Carl Lewis theorized that in 1827, the cemetery sat behind Land Lot 3, which the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church owned.

 
Prominent residents at the cemetery include members of the Conner family. The Conners were early settlers of Villa Rica and were closely involved in its government. The second city manager, J.W. Conner, is remembered for negotiating with the gold miners for tax payments and improving Villa Rica economically.

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Also buried there is James Bryce. In his book Carroll County and Her People, Job Cobb describes Bryce as an early settler and minister. Bryce was a Concord Methodist Church charter member and one of the ministers sent to Brazil to spread the Gospel.