Historic Shelby graveyard restoration uncovers plots of settlers, slaves, Indians

VINCENT, Alabama -- Realtor Judy Naugle mostly is interested in selling houses to the living, but for the past year, she has been focused on restoring the final home of one Vincent-area community's dead.

She and friend Anne Gibbons started last June on a project to clean up the cemetery that holds the remains of an important family in the area as well as the remains of slaves and freedmen, and those of early American Indian settlers.

Their efforts were rewarded most recently in late April when a historic marker was dedicated for what has been named the Bailey Cemetery. Last August, the site received a listing on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

The cemetery is on Shelby County 62 and is part of what is being called the Arkwright Heritage Area. "We believe there are one thousand graves in here," Naugle said. "This is a truly significant historical site."

The cemetery got its name from William Bailey, one of the first landowners in the area as well as a slave holder. His family -- including his three wives -- are buried in the cemetery.

One of Bailey's sons was friends with a slave boy about his age who lived on the Bailey property. While the local historians do not know at what point the young slave was freed, they do know that the son gave his friend several acres of land.

The freedman was successful to the point that he donated land for Evangel Temple Church.

"He lived the American dream," Naugle said.

The Alabama Society of Daughters of the American Colonists provided the marker for the dedication, which was attended by about 60 people.

Naugle and Gibbons formed the Vincent Historical and Environmental Society last June. "I needed a service project," she said.

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Historic Shelby graveyard restoration uncovers plots of settlers, slaves, Indians