Contact the City of Selma

Department of Cemeteries

Elmwood Cemetery was established in 1854 when the City of Selma purchased a large section of land on the east side of town. At first it was known as East Selma Graveyard. Part of the cemetery property is on the previous site of the Selma Race Course. Bounded on the west by Race Street and on the north by Medley Street, the cemetery runs south along Race Street to just beyond the junction with Shelly Street. The east and south boundaries adjoin private property.

In the spring of 1864 the hundreds of Confederate soldiers killed in Selma were buried at Elmwood Cemetery, yet today no Confederate markers are to be found in the cemetery.

In 1865 Selma's Jewish community purchased land adjoining the north side of Elmwood Cemetery for their cemetery. Anne Cooper Street separates the Jewish section on the north end from the main body of the cemetery. The Jewish section has also gone through long periods of neglect. Most of the remaining markers are circa 1890.

In 1860 several Black people died of small pox and were among the first buried in the cemetery. Since around 1900 it has been mostly used by the African American community of Dallas County as well as neighboring Autauga County.

Although the cemetery has gone through long periods of neglect, it is kept in immaculate condition by the City of Selma. In the older section there are several bordered family plots, but no markers. Also in this section, there are many unmarked graves or graves with markers broken, strewn and overturned. Many of the older markers are made of concrete and have eroded to the point that they cannot be interpreted. Most of the legible markers were placed after 1900.