Historic Marion Avenue Cemetery
The Historical Marion Avenue Cemetery was one of two African American cemeteries that used to exist in Hartsville and it is being restored.
The distinction between the two organizations has faded and the two cemeteries are referred to as the Hartsville African American Cemetery or the Marion Avenue Cemetery.
The restoration of the Cemetery was recommended as a priority task in the South Hartsville Neighborhood Revitalization Plan compiled by the American Planning Association’s Community Planning Assistance Team in 2015 and the Chicora Foundation was hired to conduct a survey of the site and resulted in a report that was presented to the city later that year. In 2019 a South Carolina Historical Marker was unveiled at the site.
This is one of many neighborhood revitalization efforts currently underway through collaboration between residents, City officials and staff, and community partners.
The cemetery is located at 500 Marion Ave, Hartsville, SC 29550.
Historical Marker Dedication
On January 21, 2019, a group and members of the press gathered at the cemetery to celebrate the unveiling of a new state historical marker for the cemetery. Continuing the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, attendees then participated in a march to Jerusalem Baptist Church where a service was held.
Information on Burials
View the Marion Ave Cemetery burial list below to see information about those memorialized in the Cemetery. Use this guide (PDF) to interpret the information in the list. If you have information to add to the burial list, please contact City Hall at 843.383.3018.
Click here to open the burial list spreadsheet in a new window.
Support the Cemetery
Community fundraising efforts have begun to help offset the cost of clearing the overgrowth at the cemetery. Tax deductible donations for the preservation of the historic Marion Avenue Cemetery are being accepted by the City of Hartsville.
Donations are also accepted at City Hall, or by mail at the address below. If paying by check, please make payable to the City of Hartsville, Memo: “Marion Avenue Cemetery.”
Marion Avenue Cemetery Project
City of Hartsville
P.O. Drawer 2497
Hartsville, SC 29551
Ongoing Restoration
A decorative fence was built around the cemetery and landcaping added in 2025. Work to prerve the graves and identify those buried there are ongoing.
Learn about the history of the Historical Marion Avenue Cemetary and its restoration in this presentation from Fall 2018: