Historic Marker Unveiling for the Happy Hill Cemetery | Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission

Happy Hill Cemetery, an African American burial ground, was established after the Freedmen’s community was founded “across the creek” from Salem in 1872. Members of Happy Hill’s founding families are buried here along with later residents of the neighborhood and city. Over 1,500 death certificates issued from 1895 to 1965 list Happy Hill as the place of burial but few grave markers remain. In 1966 approximately 200 sets of remains were moved to Nat Watkins Cemetery behind Oak Grove Baptist Church in Walkertown when construction of U.S. Highway 52 claimed the east end of the cemetery. Descendant Maurice Pitts Johnson began leading restoration efforts in 2009.

Join the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission on June 22, 2025 at 3 PM at they unveil a new historic marker honoring this site.