Hidden in a little street alley off Bank Street is the oldest surviving cemetery in Decatur, going back to at least 1818. I have learned it is called the Rhodes Family Cemetery, after Dr. Henry Rhodes, one of the original founders of Decatur. In fact, Decatur was called Rhodes Ferry for many years until the name was changed to reflect the heroics of Stephen Decatur during the Barbary Coast War. There a lot of broken gravestones, most are illegible and contain by some records 19 – 20 people connected to the Rhodes family, The graves contain a high percentage of children and adolescents who died around 1818 – 1820. There are Rhodes, Sykes, Scruggs and Banks buried here. There’s speculation that the cemetery was much larger at some point but other buildings now cover the burial places. It was heavily damaged during the Battle of Decatur as well. Besides a wrought iron gate and a sign, there’s little to see.
