Nestled behind First United Methodist Church on a quiet corner of Gaines Street, Old Dublin City Cemetery may date back to 1811. It is the oldest known cemetery in Dublin.

A Storied Past

Many of Dublin’s ancestors were laid to rest in the cemetery, including one of Laurens County’s most influential settlers, Thomas McCall. Among McCall’s many achievements, he was a  noted mathematician and surveyor. He “served as a private in the Colonial army as a member of Captain Greene’s Troop of Horses in General Marion’s Brigade” (Thompson, 2014).

The history doesn’t end with McCall. Ornate tombstones throughout Old Dublin City Cemetery mark the final resting place of soldiers of many significant battles, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Nancy Duncan rests here. Duncan’s ancestors fought against the British during the Revolutionary War, and she was posthumously inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution. A plaque noting this designation stands proudly by her tombstone near the rear center of the cemetery. Duncan’s story is one of the tales detailed in the audio tour at the entrance of the cemetery.

Surrounded by a black cast iron fence, each tombstone and plot stands as a unique monument of Dublin’s rich history and each person’s unique contribution. Families are buried in their plots and stones with artistic touches like weeping willows, trees, lambs, and draped fabrics pay homage to their lives.

Saving Old Dublin City Cemetery

A stroll through Old City Cemetery offers a glimpse into nature. In the center of the cemetery stands an old cedar tree that has enveloped an oak tree. They grow together, hugging for eternity.Birds of all types nest in Old City Cemetery, including the occasional owl.

In 2012, Dublin-Laurens Historical Society and the City of Dublin partnered to help raise awareness of the historical value of the cemetery. A tour called Walk Among the Shadows was coordinated, sharing Dublin’s history using actors in period attire. Beautification of the cemetery included building entrances with repurposed brick and stone once used in Dublin’s old sidewalks. Square planters that once marked Dublin’s Northview Cemetery entrance were relocated to Old Dublin City Cemetery, and new benches  were placed throughout the cemetery. Old benches were repaired, tombstones and graves cleaned, and paths cleared.

Explore More

Travel back to our past.

• Visit Dublin-Laurens Heritage Center to trace your genealogy and see if it leads back to the Old Dublin Cemetery! With its huge selection of genealogy books, family histories, Georgia county histories, newspaper abstracts, Dublin, East Laurens, and West Laurens High School yearbooks, Dublin City directories, military abstracts, indexes for Revolutionary through Civil War, and land lottery records.
• Downtown Dublin Walking Tour: This state of the art tour includes a dynamic look at 71 historic landmarks, sites and buildings in Dublin’s city center. Featuring a collection of historic photography of each location from the archives of local historian Scott Thompson, this tour gives visitors an in-depth look at the history and culture that shaped the history and architecture in Dublin.
• History Audio Tour: Stories come to life as characters from Dublin’s past recount sixteen stories at four historic downtown sites: Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park, the Old Post Office, Old City Cemetery, and Dublin Carnegie. These site each feature an audio box with four stories.