Article I: Location and History

Spring Hill Cemetery
Spring Hill Cemetery is located within the city of Huntington. It is bounded by Norway Avenue on the north, Enslow Avenue and Forest Lawn Cemetery on the south, and 20th Street on the west. Its east boundary is the brick wall which was built in 1939 by WPA (Works Project Administration) workers. The original cemetery was part of the Holderby Land Grant and additional land, containing 29.89 acres, was purchased from the Central Land Company by the city of Huntington on October 23, 1874, although graves, both marked and unmarked, predate this time. Today, Spring Hill Cemetery contains 110 acres.

Highland Cemetery
Highland Cemetery is located within the City of Huntington on Saltwell Road in the section known as Cross Roads in the Guyandotte District. The first land for the cemetery was purchased from Charles H. Hall and his wife, June 10, 1892. This parcel consisted of ten acres. Another five acres were added at a later date. Guyandotte subsequently merged with the City of Huntington. The cemetery property was passed by ordinance to the Board of Park Commissioners upon its formation in 1925.

Guyandotte Cemetery
Guyandotte Cemetery is located on Fifth Avenue, just inside the floodwall as one crosses the river into Guyandotte. This cemetery is preserved as a historic site with burials dating from 1843 including many veterans of the War Between the States.

Pat's Branch Cemetery
Pat's Branch Cemetery is also a historic site, has graves as old as 1836. It is situated inside the boundaries of an industrial complex. at 3200 Riverside Drive. Pat's Branch Cemetery may be seen by appointment only.

The two operating cemeteries, Spring Hill and Highland have a total of 125 acres combined.

These cemeteries were under the jurisdiction of the city of Huntington until 1925. The Board of Park Commissioners/Park Board was created by Chapter 26, Acts of the State Legislature effective January 26, 1925. Section 12 of this Act vested title to all parks, parkways, athletic fields, boulevards, cemeteries, etc., then owned by the City of Huntington to the newly formed Board. In 1983, the Board was expanded and reorganized into the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District, an independent governmental entity holding title to these four cemetery properties in addition to various parks, hereinafter referred to as GHPRD.