Fourth Ward's historic cemeteries: Settlers', Elmwood and Pinewood
Three of the City of Charlotte's seven cemeteries are in or next to Fourth Ward: Settlers' Cemetery inside the neighborhood, and Elmwood and Pinewood just across the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks to the west. The city owns all three and cares for the grounds. Historic Elmwood Pinewood, a nonprofit founded in 2019, works with the city on tours, events and restoration.
Visiting: Free. Dogs on leashes are welcome; keep them off the monuments and clean up after them. Picnics are allowed, but no grills or fires. Do not climb or walk on headstones, monuments, markers or walls, and no gravestone rubbings.
Tours and burial records: City Cemeteries office, 704-336-2123, or information@historicelmwoodpinewood.org.
Settlers' Cemetery
Address: 200 W. 5th Street, at 5th and Church. Metered street parking and nearby decks.
Settlers' is Charlotte's earliest burial ground. The city says burials began before Charlotte was established in 1768, beside the town's early church on the site that is now First Presbyterian Church. It took burials for more than 100 years, until Elmwood opened, and has been closed to new burials ever since. The city now calls it "a green space nestled between churches and skyscrapers."
Buried here, according to the city, are members of the Polk family, including Colonel Thomas Polk, great-uncle of President James K. Polk; the Graham family, including Major General George Graham; and the Davidson, Caldwell, Wilkinson and Irwin families. A bronze map at the entrance marks more than 300 graves, and a bronze plaque lists the people buried here. The cemetery was restored in the late 1990s.
See Stop 46 on the walking tour.
Elmwood Cemetery
Address: 700 W. 6th Street, just west of the railroad tracks. A second entrance is on 9th Street by way of Johnston Road. Visitors may park inside.
Elmwood's first recorded burials date to 1853. The city describes it as a "rural-style" cemetery, used for walks, picnics "and even carriage races." It is still an active cemetery, and Historic Elmwood Pinewood calls Elmwood and Pinewood together "Uptown Charlotte's largest public green space." It has been an accredited arboretum since 2017, and the 6th Street entrance has wayfinding for walking and biking trails.
Buried here, according to the city: Governor Cameron Morrison; Dr. Annie Alexander, whom the city calls "the first female physician in the south"; Phillip Lance Van Every, founder of Lance, Inc., and a two-term mayor; Senator John Motley Morehead; and the actor Randolph Scott. The Severs Log Cabin monument was carved from a single 15-ton block of granite.
Pinewood Cemetery
Address: 700 W. 6th Street, alongside Elmwood.
Pinewood, also called 9th Street Pinewood, also dates to 1853. A fence divided it from Elmwood, with separate entrances, until 1969, when Fred Alexander, Charlotte's first Black city council member since the 19th century, led the effort to desegregate the cemeteries. They have been operated as one ever since.
Buried here, according to the city: Dr. John T. Williams, one of the state's first three Black doctors and consul to Sierra Leone; Lt. Col. C.S.L.A. Taylor, Charlotte's first Black firefighter; Thad Lincoln Tate, businessman and investor in the Brooklyn neighborhood; and Bishop Thomas H. Lomax of the A.M.E. Zion Church. The Smith and Jones mausoleums were designed by W.W. Smith, the Black architect of the Mecklenburg Investment Company Building.
Coming up
- Voices From the Past: After Dark, Historic Elmwood Cemetery, Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, 2026, 7 PM to 12:30 AM. Recommended for adults. Details at historicelmwoodpinewood.org.
- Voices From the Past, the daytime living-history event, returns in April 2027.
Sources: City of Charlotte, City Cemeteries, Settlers' Cemetery, Historic Elmwood Cemetery and Historic 9th Street Pinewood Cemetery pages, read October 3, 2026. Historic Elmwood Pinewood, home page, About, FAQs and event pages, read October 3, 2026. Friends of Fourth Ward, "The Historic Cemeteries" page, read October 3, 2026.