However, a careful check of records would have revealed the transaction was actually for the cemetery that came to be known as Georgia, located near present-day Governors Drive and Madison Street. Although it was originally established as a white city cemetery, black people also were buried there even at an early date. The custom of the time, as evidenced by countless cemeteries throughout the South, dictated that both whites and blacks were often buried in the same grounds. Harsh as slavery was, the white masters often felt a paternal instinct toward their slaves, even in death. The site of the new city cemetery, however, proved to be an unfortunate one.
Early accounts show the area was prone to flooding and was a virtual swamp for much of the time.
After only four years, Georgia Cemetery was deemed unsuitable for burial and LeRoy Pope sold the city another tract of land, later to become known as Maple Hill Cemetery. Possibly another incentive for purchasing the new cemetery had to do with the new rules requiring separate burial places for the black and white population. Although Georgia was deemed unfit for white burials, city officials continued to use it for burials of blacks. Georgia Cemetery quickly became a focal point for the black community, possibly because it was the only place in Huntsville they could claim as their own. St. Bartley, the oldest black church in Huntsville, traces its beginnings back to 1820 when slaves met under the dogwood trees in the cemetery to hear God's word delivered by their first pastor, William Harris.