Preserving our history
One Cemetery, One Story At A Time.
The Forgotten South is a history project dedicated to the architecture, forgotten cemeteries, and untold stories of the American South.
Through on-the-ground research and photography, these places are recorded before time, neglect, and development erase them forever.
From hand-hewn farmhouses to overgrown grave markers, every structure and stone tells the story of the people who built this region and the lives they lived here.
I’m Kelly!
Traveling Historian | Cemetery Preservationist | Content Creator
I started this project in 2009 and since then, have covered countless miles across 12 states to visit the historic sites that are quickly fading from the landscape.
In 2019, my work expanded to cemetery preservation, and today, I have been involved with preserving 21 cemeteries across 5 states,
When I’m not rambling the backroads or in the woods cleaning cemeteries, I travel to talk about my work and bring attention to untold stories and to the importance of cemetery advocacy and historic preservation.
Join me as I wander the South in search of the stories we haven’t heard.
History Hiding in Plain Sight
The Leigh Family Farmhouse | Durham County, NC | Built c. 1830s, 50s, 80s I had passed this exit countless times before I realized the history hiding along the highway, and I’m guessing most other locals don’t know it’s here yet either. Tucked between I-40 and an office park in Durham County, North Carolina, a…
Witness to War on the Old Savannah Road
The Lindsey Coleman House | Jefferson County, Georgia | Built c. 1850s The Coleman House is crumbling along a country road in Georgia, and most people drive right past it without a second thought. But they don’t know that Sherman’s troops camped on these grounds in 1864, that the general himself is said to have…
Decoration Day to Remember the Dead: A Southern Tradition
Every year, before the heat settled in for good and before the long days of summer demanded every hour of labor on the farm, Southern families put down their tools for a day to reflect on their ancestors and care for their graves. They called it Decoration Day, typically in the spring or early summer,…
Alamo History in South Carolina
The Bonham Family House, aka Flat Grove Plantation | Saluda County, South Carolina, built c. 1780s When you think of the Alamo, you probably picture Texas, but did you know a massive piece of Alamo history actually sits quietly on brick and fieldstone pillars in Saluda County, South Carolina? Welcome to the Bonham House, a…
What Was The Great Wagon Road?
The Forgotten Colonial Interstate: History of the Great Wagon Road Imagine packing up everything you own into a wooden wagon and heading into the unknown for months, guided only by rumor, rough directions, and the worn tracks of those who came before you. No maps you could trust.No paved roads.No guarantee you’d make it. Just…
Historic Home Survives Hurricane Helene
Whittington Family House | Yancey County, North Carolina | built c. late 1800s In the mountains of western North Carolina, along the winding roads that follow the Cane River, there is a house that has quietly watched generations come and go. It has stood through war, reconstruction, the rise and fall of rural economies, and…
