In 1871 trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, later associated with the First United Methodist Church, purchased a 7.93-acre lot. The scenic property was purchased with the intent of building a church and parsonage. However, no church construction ever occurred on the lot, and for over twenty ears, it remained empty. The property began its function as a cemetery in 1896 when Ada Harrison, the 18 month daughter of J.S. and M.J Harrison, died and was buried there.

The Copperhill Cemetery was primarily used from 1895 - 1941 and includes approximately 295 known burials. Families/individuals associated with the First United Methodist Church and. Community members were buried at this site. The grave markers vary from elaborate obelisk headstones to fieldstone representing the diverse socioeconomics of Copperhill in the late 19th century and early to mid 20th century. Families or individuals who were poor had their graves marked with fieldstone or bricks, which are scattered along the perimeter of the cemetery.

The cemetery continued to be used by the First United Methodist Church regularly until 1953. Since that year, only a few burials have taken place at the Copperhill Cemetery. The decline in use was related to (1) the decline in the mining industry around 1940, as many families began to leave once jobs became scarce; (2) the First United Methodist Church moved a new facility in the 1970's and (3) the church ceased burials at the cemetery. The last person to be buried at the Copperhill Cemetery was Walter T. Elrod, Jr. in 1998. Over the last 30 years the cemetery has experienced neglect, deterioration and erosion. Many headstones have been damaged or washed away due to the erosion of the hillside.

The graves at the Copperhill Cemetery serve as silent, physical reminders of the community that once focused its religious and economic activity in the Copper Basin. At the present time, a strong resurgence of interest in the restoration and preservation of the cemetery has led to the creation of the Copperhill Cemetery Preservation Committee. This group is aggressively making attempts to stop the tremendous erosion as well as cleaning the grounds and resetting stones. They are working with the City of Copperhill to gain ownership of the property since the First United Methodist Church claims no ties to the cemetery.

The City of Copperhill retains ownership and provides mowing maintenance. The cemetery has been heavily vandalized with missing and broken markers. A list of individuals who had headstones in the 1980s is listed on a sign at the entrance to the cemetery (see images); however some of the markers are now missing since the sign was posted.