South Asheville Cemetery

The South Asheville Cemetery is often called the South Asheville Colored Cemetery due to its roots as a resting place for African American individuals. George Avery, a slave of William Wallace McDowell, was entrusted by McDowell to manage the cemetery beginning in the late nineteenth century. Avery joined the Union Army during the Civil War, but returned afterward to oversee burials for the remainder of his 90-year-life. After 1943, however, the cemetery was essentially left unattended and has since only been maintained by volunteers.

Considering the lack of official documentation for burials, it is unknown how many individuals are buried at the site. Estimates point to anywhere between 1500 and 5000 individuals, many of which were slaves. As such, the cemetery is said to have a tremendous amount of paranormal activity, with visitors reporting shadowy figures moving slowly, as if still burdened by weights of pain and despair.