Davison-McMillan Cemetery at Old Scotland, Alabama contains graves of early pioneer settlers

Old graves at Davison-McMillan Cemetery.

I was talking with my friend Al Nettles the other day, and he told me that his grandson, Andrew, in Florida recently led an effort to clean up the old Davison-McMillan Cemetery at Old Scotland. Andrew is active in Scouting and took on the cemetery clean-up work as a service project to earn his Eagle Scout rank. Andrew was assisted by members of his troop in Gulf Breeze and scouts from the Monroeville troop.

After talking with Al, it occurred to me that I had not been to the Davison-McMillian Cemetery in about 20 years. Many readers will remember how pretty the weather was on Friday, and I took advantage of it by taking a quick field trip to this this historic cemetery. For those who have never been there before, this cemetery is located on the north side of Old Scotland Road, about a mile and a half from the Old Scotland Presbyterian Church, which is about 12 road miles from Monroeville.

If memory serves, the last time I went to this cemetery, I was with local history expert Steve Stacey, who was giving me a tour of lesser-known history sites. At that time, the cemetery was overgrown and snakey with many of its grave markers covered by vegetation, dirt and other debris. If memory serves, it was hard to see very much in the cemetery back then due to its overall poor condition.

When I stepped out of my truck on Friday afternoon, I was very impressed by how much work had been done to this cemetery. The lane leading up the cemetery was as clean as a whistle, complete with new barrier posts and ropes on each side. The wooden sign at the cemetery’s entrance also looked new (and on the reverse of the sign you’ll find the names of the scouts who helped with the clean-up project).

The cemetery, which is located in a shady spot beneath a patch of tall trees, had also been cleared of all brush and vegetation. I could tell that a lot of effort had been put into the clean-up project. Visitors in the near future will have no trouble getting around inside this historic cemetery.

I wouldn’t call this cemetery large because, just eyeballing it, I’d say it contains less than 20 marked graves. The oldest that I saw dated back to 1837. Those graves include that of the Rev. Neil McMillan, a North Carolina native, who passed away in September 1837.

I must admit that I have always had a special interest in McMillan family history. My great-great grandmother was Mattie A. McMillan, who is descended from South Carolina pioneer, Bennet McMillan, who settled in Burnt Corn in the 1800s. Whether or not my family is related to any of the McMillans at Old Scotland, I do not know.

Andrew and the other scouts are to be commended for the fine work they have done at the Davison-McMillan Cemetery. It looks like there was a lot of hard work involved, and I’m sure that future visitors to the cemetery will appreciate their efforts. No doubt Andrew will receive high marks for his service project.

In the end, let me hear from you if you know any more information about the McMillan family in Monroe County or the Davison-McMillan Cemetery at Old Scotland. I’m especially interest in any old ghost stories, local legends or Indian lore from the Old Scotland area. If you know of anything along those lines, please let me know.