Remnants of an abandoned cemetery hidden in plain sight in downtown Raleigh

Alongside a bustling downtown Raleigh street – surrounded by homes, shops and construction work – is the last place you might expect to find an abandoned cemetery. A crumbling stone wall, decorated with trash and litter, can be seen bulging out of a grassy hillside on the corner of Booker and Hill Street. The antique stone, slightly hidden behind a modern concrete wall, which seems to be holding it together, surrounds land once described as 'hallowed ground.' But today, most people drive right past without ever noticing.

For those who take a closer look, the old stone wall has markings that date it back to the 1800s. From above, it becomes obvious the wall is part of a larger structure, forming an almost-perfect square on a grassy hilltop – only visible from above.

For those who have found this unexpected structure, it's tricky to determine its origins. It may be easy to assume it's part of an old stone foundation or perhaps a remnant from the cannon emplacements and earthworks built around the city during the Civil War.

However, a post from the State Archives of NC Photos revealed a historic image of the wall – long before decades of erosion and development swallowed it.

From the historic image, we can see the wall was once about 3 or 4 feet tall, resting on flat ground, with a bramble of trees growing out from within. It was used as a family cemetery that was likely established in the 1830s, and it belonged to the man who literally shaped the entire future of Raleigh – by fighting to keep us the capital city.

Seawell was born in 1774 and died in 1835, so historians can date the cemetery back at least to the 1830s, when Seawell would have been buried on the property of "Welcome."

For perspective, the City of Raleigh didn't exist until 1792, so Seawell would have been an adult before the city was even established – and it was Seawell who would become the main voice in preventing Raleigh from losing its status as the state's capital.

In 1831, Raleigh's original capitol building burned down. Politicians who had long hoped to see Fayetteville become the capital used the opportunity to push their agenda. After all, Raleigh had not even existed when it was decided this area would become the capital, and the young city had only served as the state capital for 39 years. Several other cities, like Hillsborough and Fayetteville, had 'thrown their hat in the ring' when it came time to determine the state capital, and likely felt more deserving since they pre-dated Raleigh. Delegates had chosen Raleigh primarily due to its location near a favorite tavern and meeting place, as well as its central location in the state.

Seawell pushed back and fought for Raleigh to maintain its status as capital. Had he not done so, the landscape and culture of North Carolina may look very different today.

Documents show that members of the Seawell family were exhumed and re-interred at Oakwood Cemetery in October 1977, according to the State Archives of North Carolina.

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From the 1700s to early 1900s, much of what we now think of as downtown Raleigh was very rural. It was common for families to bury loved ones on their own property – and many of those graves, whether marked or unmarked, are still there.

In fact, the oldest marked grave in Wake County is tucked away on NC State's Centennial Campus, which was built on the grounds of Spring Hill, the home of Theophilus Hunter.

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Olde Raleigh - N.C. shared an archival photo showing Seawell's cemetery back when the area was considered a more rural part of Wake County. Seeing how much the area has grown, it's easy to see why the former cemetery's location is so easy to miss today.

WRAL's Hidden Historian explored the overgrown remains in a live stream. Take a firsthand look at the remnants, and email hleah@wral.com if you have any ideas about NC history you'd like to see her explore!