History among the Tombstones – Oak Hill Cemetery Tours
As macabre as it may seem, cemeteries are a place where history comes into focus. Just north of downtown Newnan at 96 Jackson Street, Oak Hill Cemetery is one such place. Established as a resting place for deceased Confederate soldiers, it has been a part of Newnan (and West Georgia’s) history ever since. On two weekends each October, the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society hosts creative, interactive “cemetery tours” of this location. These tours will be the focus of our upcoming quarterly presentation on Sunday, January 25th, 2026, at 3:00 PM EDT (2:00 PM CDT). This virtual presentation (once again on Zoom) will feature Mrs. Larisa Scott, NCHS Exec. Director. She will also share the history of NCHS and the future of their new museum and other NCHS services.
The Newnan-Coweta Historical Society is a non-profit over 50 years old. Originally housed in the Male Academy museum, the organization’s home base is now the McRitchie-Hollis Museum. Currently there is a new museum in the works, and she will discuss this as well. The main focus of her presentation, however, will be the cemetery.
Oak Hill Cemetery was established and completed in its initial phase between 1863 and 1864 during the height of the American Civil War. It was originally developed as a final resting place for former Confederate soldiers. The oldest section of the cemetery holds 269 former Confederate soldiers (representing regiments from every state in the Confederacy). Much of the identification of the soldiers was done by the local war hospital (then located at the aforementioned McRitchie-Hollis home, which treated both Confederate and Union soldiers). The hospital was very efficient in its process of soldier identification, so much that only two of the 269 deceased could not be properly identified.
The history of Oak Hill did not end with the Civil War. It also houses the interred remains of many Revolutionary War soldiers as well. In addition to many other figures in local West Georgia history, it also serves as the final resting place of two former Governors of Georgia (both Newnan residents): William Atkinson and Ellis Arnall.
Our presenter, Mrs. Scott, is very passionate about history, storytelling, education, and preservation. Passionate about history, culture, the arts, she is a self-described lifelong learner, Larisa loves to get other people excited about reading and learning. She also enjoys bringing people together for learning experiences such as the 3rd Thursday Lecture Series hosted by NCHC and other events and activities throughout the year. One of her greatest strengths is organizing and preserving materials, a skill honed while earning her Masters of Library and Information Science. A Georgia girl her entire life, Larisa loves Newnan and has called it home for the last 28 years. She lives in a 175-year-old home located downtown in the historic College-Temple District.
She looks forward to sharing the history of Oak Hill Cemetery and how the NCHS has adapted it into a popular, interactive annual Newnan tradition. She will also discuss current NCHS developments (as well as future plans for a new museum).
Join us for this very informative and interesting presentation on January 25th. To attend this virtual meeting email ccpowers02@gmail.com prior to 12:00 PM noon (EDT) on Sunday, January 25th. You will then be sent the Zoom link with instructions regarding how to join the meeting.