Historical marker describes historic Wiggins Memorial Cemetery at Mexia

Wiggins Memorial Cemetery in Mexia, Ala.

This week’s featured historical marker is the “WIGGINS CEMETERY, MONROE COUNTY” marker located in Mexia, Alabama. This marker was erected in 2011 by the Alabama Historical Commission and the Trustees of Wiggins Cemetery.

This marker is located at the entrance of the Wiggins Memorial Cemetery, which is on the east side of Thompson Drive (which is also known as Monroe County Road 36). Thompson Drive is on the north side of State Highway 47 in Mexia, between Jerry’s Trucks and Cars and Snowden Road. There’s text on both sides of this marker, but the writing on both sides is identical. What follows is the complete text that appears on both sides of the marker.

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“WIGGINS CEMETERY, MONROE COUNTY: Many buried in this cemetery served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War and later wars. The oldest grave is that of William Wiggins who died in 1819 and was a Revolutionary soldier. The cemetery was placed on the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register on July 12, 2010.”

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My recent visit to the Wiggins Memorial Cemetery to photograph this marker wasn’t my first. I last visited this remarkable cemetery about eight years ago while researching a series of articles on the oldest marked grave in Monroe County. The grave of William Wiggins, which is mentioned on the historical marker described above, is one of the oldest marked graves in all of Monroe County.

If you visit the cemetery today, you’ll find his grave and his wife’s on the very back row just shy of the chain link fence that makes up the cemetery’s east boundary. It’s hard to miss because there isn’t another marker in the entire cemetery that looks like it. Wiggins and his wife, Elizabeth Cooper Wiggins, share a headstone, which reads as follows – “WIGGINS, WILLIAM, Revolutionary War Soldier, North Carolina Militia, 10th Regiment, Private in Coleman’s Co. of the North Carolina Line, 1755-1819; ELIZABETH COOPER, Wife of William, Daughter of Fleet Cooper and Margaret Coor of North Carolina, Mother of Eight Sons and One Daughter, 1759-1825.”

Beside this marker for Wiggins and his wife, you’ll also find smaller markers that have been placed by the Hunt’s Spring Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. One of those markers designates the grave as the burial site of a Revolutionary War soldier, and the other designates the grave of a Revolutionary War soldier’s wife.

Also, if you look closely at the photo above, you’ll notice a large black mailbox to the right of the cemetery’s main entrance. Take a look inside and you’ll find a sealed plastic box that contains a binder. Within this binder, you’ll find information about the cemetery as well as more details about the individuals buried in the Wiggins Memorial Cemetery.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.