By Mary Beth Marino

By now the story is familiar. The graveyard had been forgotten and overgrown. Father John Fallon from Washington, Ga., had it restored and toiled the soil himself to bring both respect and dignity back to the lost souls buried at Locust Grove Cemetery.

But history was also boldly awakened as questions concerning the tenants of the graveyard arose.

History records that Father Jeremiah F. O’Neill, Jr., buried in the cemetery, was the first resident pastor assigned to Atlanta in 1851. He was said to have offered Mass on the very grounds he was buried in. These grounds harbored the first Catholic church, a log cabin, built in the year 1800.

Now, new information has surfaced and the story continues only to add to the legend of the land and the people buried there.

It was a cloudy and foggy day Nov. 2, 1984, the feast of All Souls. The dreary weather added to the nostalgic feeling surrounding the task of celebrating Mass at Locust Grove Cemetery in Washington.

Bright yellow mums adorned several of the gravestones lending a peaceful atmosphere to the quiet surroundings of the cemetery.

Approximately 150 people came to this small town from various states to attend the annual All Souls Day Mass.

Mr. B.E. Luckett received a Georgia Bulletin in Fort Worth, Texas from a relative, informing him about the rebirth of the once forgotten cemetery. Mr. Luckett has a great-great-great-grandfather, and also a great (plus 3) grandfather buried at Locust Grove. He corresponded with Father Fallon who invited him to attend the Mass. While visiting the gravesite, Mr. Luckett met Robert P. and Henrietta McIntyre who were also related to the grandfather generation of Lucketts. They also met Georgia Luckett Champion from Barnsville, Ga. who is another descendant from the Luckett ancestry. All the family members were emotionally charged at meeting each other and sharing family ties as “long lost cousins.”

There were also relatives from Nashville, Tenn., Macon, Marietta and Savannah. They were all traveling to Locust Grove to pay respects to the ancestors and to find roots belonging to them.

The Mass was concelebrated, with Father Fallon as the main celebrant. Father Tony Green, from Corpus Christi parish in Stone Mountain and Monsignor Daniel Bourke from the Diocese of Savannah also celebrated.

Robert McIntyre presented a brief history of the people buried in the cemetery. He also gave an interesting account of how the Masses that are to be celebrated annually originated.

Joseph Thompson and Elizabeth Bradford Thompson were the first buried in Locust Grove Cemetery. Joseph Thompson’s will, dated Dec. 9, 1809 allotted the church sufficient land for a priest’s home; the land where the graveyard exists; the area for the structure of the first log cabin church and the land that harbored a tiny spring.

Records indicate a visit by John England, Bishop of Charleston, who requested the following: “Upon visitation of Friday 2^nd April 1824 ordered – that a Mass be celebrated every year upon some day the most convenient to the 9^th of February in the Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the repose of the soul of Mr. Joseph Thompson – and that the pastor of the said church do celebrate the same or cause it to be celebrated, and that he do on the day previous to said celebration publish the ordinary to the congregation, and request their attendance thereat, and pray for the repose of the soul of the said Joseph as a principal benefactor who bestowed ground for the church and burying place and for the support of the pastor.”

Hence, the memory of Joseph Thompson is still being honored today as Father Fallon celebrates the Mass in the cemetery on All Souls Day every year.

The Mass concluded and everyone was invited to the Community Center where the Women’s Club graciously hosted a luncheon fit for a king. These women were not Catholic nor did they have a personal reason for bestowing the shower of hospitality. They simply said they were grateful to Father Fallon for preserving the history of Locust Grove. Father Fallon, overcome with gratitude, offered to come to the center at Christmas and sing for them!

It is unlikely that any gravesite has spurred such interest in the state of Georgia. Father Fallon’s work is not complete as donations were accepted towards the building of a structured wall to encase the graveyard. The city has just laid gravel to the dirt road for easy assess to the gravesite.

A fund has been established through the Archdiocese of Atlanta for preserving the graveyard.

Many people from all parts of the world will obviously be grateful to “caretaker Fallon” whose toil will most likely be recorded in the archives of both the Savannah and Atlanta diocese, as well as the hearts of the descendants.