Hollywood Community Cemetery
Though rumors of slave cemeteries in Orange County abound, the burial ground on this site is the oldest known African American cemetery in the area. When Mary E. (Merriman) Boneville transferred 2.5 acres of land to William King, trustee of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, in 1875, the deed indicated that the property was already in use as a burial site.
The oldest marked grave is that of Trusser T. Thomas (1866-1886). He was followed by J. Jordan (1870-1891). Many of the 19th century burials were those of young people. Church trustee William King (1833-1896), a craftsman and farmer who came from Mississippi with his wife Mary, as early as 1855, is also interred here.
Called at various times "The Colored Cemetery," "Woodlawn Cemetery," and "Merrion Cemetery," the site was listed in the city directory as the Hollywood Cemetery as early as 1922; during the 1950s, the director of the Sparrow Funeral Home officially named the cemetery "Hollywood" and death certificates began to reflect that name.
Many interred here were veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces; others such as Emma H. Wallace (d. 1968), were educators. Under the direction of the Mount Zion Church, Hollywood Cemetery continues to serve the African American community of Orange County and all others who wish to be buried here.