| Address | 700 block of West 6th Street, Charlotte |
|---|---|
| Architectural style | Cemetery |
| Year recorded | 1853 |
| Research depth | verified record with sourced claims |
What we established, and from where
Elmwood Cemetery opened in 1853 as a 100-acre plot that included Pinewood Cemetery, a segregated African American cemetery, and Potter's Field, a pauper's cemetery. The City of Charlotte owns it.
documented Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission · checked 2026-09-14
The report states plainly: "the separation of black and white graves into two completely segregated cemeteries (Elmwood was white, Pinewood, black, physically separated by a chain fence) made the Elmwood Cemetery complex the center of a controversial local civil rights campaign during the late 1960s."
documented Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission · checked 2026-09-14
Those buried at Elmwood include developer Edward Dilworth Latta, textile entrepreneur D. A. Tompkins, former Charlotte mayor S. S. McNinch, and W. W. Smith, described by the report as Charlotte's first Black architect.
documented Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission · checked 2026-09-14
Settlers Cemetery on West Fifth Street was the first and only municipal burial ground in Charlotte before 1853, and was reaching capacity when the city bought the land for Elmwood.
documented Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission · checked 2026-09-14
Elmwood, Pinewood and Potter’s Field are administered as one cemetery of about 72 acres, per the survey report; the friends organisation describes it as roughly 75 acres and as "Uptown Charlotte’s largest public green space". We give the survey figure and note the difference rather than averaging them.
conflicting This research · checked 2026-09-18
Browse from here
all 201 listed places in Charlotte
What else is close
- Irwin Creek History Project · 400 m away · Attractions & public art
- Rays Splash Planet · 400 m away · Parks & greenways
- Secluded Cars in the Distant · 450 m away · Attractions & public art
- Wind Sculpture · 550 m away · Attractions & public art
- Charlotte Cotton Mill · 600 m away · Historic places
- Irwin Creek Pedestrian · 650 m away · Attractions & public art
Distances are straight-line from the recorded coordinates, not walking distance — there may be a creek, a rail line or an interstate in between.