Cedar Hill Cemetery

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Historical marker #2623 marks the location of Cedar Hill Cemetery in Princeton, Kentucky.

Cedar Hill Cemetery was founded in 1809 and originally was called City Cemetery. The first known burial in the cemetery was of Captain William Prince, the founder of Princeton. The Prince and Frazier families gave 50 acres of land to establish Princeton in 1817. On a motion by Thomas Frazier on January 26, 1818, the town was named Princeton. Based on the death dates of gravestones in the cemetery, it became more than a family burial plot by 1820. Another significant person buried in Cedar Hill is Katharine Garrett, who bequeathed her home “Adsmore” to the George Coon Public Library Board to operate as a museum. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Cedar Hill Cemetery has a collection of 32 box tombs, with some being made before 1835 by Scottish stone mason John Adamson. The Caldwell County Historical Society has supported restoration for some of the box tombs.

The cemetery was segregated by race. One hundred graves of enslaved people have been documented. There are many more unmarked and undocumented graves in the African American sections of the cemetery.

Cedar Hill is the final resting place for cholera victims, war veterans, residents of Princeton. During the 1834 cholera epidemic, forty citizens from Princeton died from the disease. The number of deaths in Princeton during the 1851 cholera epidemic is unknown. The third epidemic in 1873 claimed approximately 34 Princeton citizens. Cedar Hill was the resting place for many of the cholera victims as it was the only public cemetery in Princeton. The cemetery is also the final resting place for 757 identified war veterans ranging from the American Revolution to the Vietnam War.

This marker was dedicated on September 18, 2021. It reads:

Cedar Hill Cemetery

Cedar Hill Cemetery, known as City
Cemetery until 1918, was founded
in 1809. The first known burial
was Capt. William Prince, founder of
Princeton. The cemetery includes 32
box-tombs, some made before 1835 by
Scottish stone mason John Adamson.
The cemetery was segregated by race,
with many marked & unmarked African
American graves. It is the place of rest
for cholera victims & war veterans.

Cedar Hill Cemetery has also been designated a Pioneer Cemetery by the Kentucky Historical Society.