Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, Inc.
Support Us
Four ways to help keep 120 acres of Mobile’s history standing.
Membership
Join the Friends
Mobile’s historic Magnolia Cemetery is maintained and operated by the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, Inc., a non-profit volunteer organization, in conjunction with the City of Mobile.
Memberships and memorials fund the office. Members receive an annual walking tour of the grounds and three newsletters a year telling the colorful stories of the Mobilians buried here.
For membership information, contact Janet Savage.
Perpetual Care Trust Fund
A permanent answer to a permanent need
The need in 1836
In 1836, in the midst of one of Mobile’s devastating yellow fever epidemics and faced with the Church Street Graveyard full, the City of Mobile purchased land outside the city limits for a new municipal cemetery. It was the first of a number of acquisitions that now comprise more than 100 acres.
The need now
When Mobile was small, the City could maintain the cemetery in good condition and, by tradition, families took responsibility for their own lots. Provision for perpetual care was unheard of, and unnecessary.
As the years passed, fewer people maintained their lots — families moved away, family lines died out, customs changed. The continued growth of trees, grass and weeds transformed the burial acres into what resembled a neglected jungle. Interspersed, and often hidden within it, were magnificent pieces of marble statuary, Victorian headstones, and handsome iron grillwork fences surrounding imposing mausoleums. Something had to be done.
What is the answer?
A Perpetual Care Trust Fund was the only permanent solution to the neglect and deterioration Magnolia Cemetery had endured for so long. Recognizing that need, the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery was incorporated under the auspices of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society. Its express purpose is the restoration of the cemetery to its deserved position of dignity and beauty, and the establishment of a program of perpetual care for its maintenance forever.
In April 1987, the Mayor and City Council approved a contract with the Friends to operate the cemetery and establish the trust. The funds provided under that contract are adequate for routine maintenance, but a substantial Perpetual Care Trust Fund is necessary to ensure permanent high-quality care. Two other Southern cities, Natchez and Charleston, built up such funds with excellent results — both began as we have.
What can you do to help?
Join with the Friends in helping to create the Perpetual Care Trust Fund. Tax-deductible funding is essential not only from lot owners but also from private citizens, businesses and charitable foundations. If desired, pledges can be spread over a period of time.
The fund is legally empowered to accept bequests, stocks, bonds and other non-cash gifts, and is administered through a local financial institution.
Your help will preserve Magnolia Cemetery’s historic and aesthetic heritage, and ensure that it remains a place of serenity and beauty forever. Call 251-432-8672 and a member of the Friends staff will explain the Perpetual Care Trust in detail.
Avenue of Heroes
More than 100 flags, twice a year
Started in 2007, the Avenue of Heroes now flies over 100 flags honoring our fallen heroes every Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Magnolia Cemetery has created a Veterans Memorial Flag Display, and we would like your help with it. Donate the flag given to you by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or purchase a flag in memory of your heroic loved one.
Flags are available at our office for a tax-deductible donation of $100. The donation includes a flag, a pole, and a plaque attached to the pole honoring your hero by name. We line the streets of the cemetery with these flags every Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
For more information, contact Janet Savage at 251-432-8672.
Memorial fence
Fence sections
Begun in the 1990s to replace a rusted chain link fence, the memorial fence program has put wrought iron around more than three-quarters of the cemetery. Sections can be sponsored in memory or in honor of someone.
For more information, call Janet Savage at 251-432-8672 or use the contact details on our Visit & Contact page.
Employment
Work at Magnolia
Mobile’s historic Magnolia Cemetery is maintained and operated by the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, Inc., a non-profit volunteer organization, in conjunction with the City of Mobile.
For information about employment with the Friends of Magnolia Cemetery, contact Janet Savage at 251-432-8672 or email friendsmagnolia@bellsouth.net.