Rose Hill Cemetery began in 1829 on the site of the Independent Presbyterian Church, York's first church. Unfortunately, the church is no longer extant since 1864. The cemetery is in very good condition and is well maintained. There are clear paths for walking and a few spots near the front are shaded by trees. It is all quite peaceful.
A number of the memorials are clearly older and some that have gates and fences are in less than perfect repair. Headstones could use a pressure washing. But the grounds are good.
Two prominent York residents buried in the cemetery are Asbury Coward, co-founder of the Kings Mountain Military Academy and Dr. J. Rufus Bratton, head surgeon of the Confederate Hospitals in Georgia. At least eight Union soldiers of the 7th Cavalry and 18th infantry, quartered in York as the Army of Occupation during Reconstruction, are buried in the southeast corner of the cemetery. Three US congresspeople are also laid to reset here, David Edward Finley, Paul Grier McCorkle and Alexander Stuart Wallace.
[Review 13889 overall, 1211 of 2020, number 649 in South Carolina.] read more