Location: 608 Page Street
Built: 1840
Designated in 2014

The Hillcrest Cemetery is significant as the final resting place of men and women who made contributions to Cary’s social, economic, political and religious growth and development during the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Interred at the cemetery are 15 former mayors and a number of prominent local education and business leaders, including members of the Jones, Page, Templeton and Guess families, as well as Cary High School principal Marcus Baxter Dry, Esther Ivey, Russell O. Heater, Alfred "Buck" Jones and R.S. "Dad" Dunham.

The Town of Cary acquired most of the cemetery in several transactions during the 1960s and 1970s, making it the town’s only municipal cemetery.   

For more information, read the Landmark Designation Report.

Visiting the Cemetery?

You might notice the new sign that has been placed near the back southeast corner of the cemetery. Last year, Cary applied for and received a placemaking grant in the amount of $1,500 from the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors (RRAR). The idea behind the grant project was to recognize Cary's first African American Church site within the downtown area. The church, Cary First Christian, built their first structure in 1883. The structure no longer stands; however, remnants of the church remain and are located along the future Higgins Greenway trail. Grant funds were used to design and install educational signage that calls attention to this historic location, creating a place for residents and visitors to learn and reflect on Cary's past. The signage is currently located in Hillcrest Cemetery and will be moved to its permanent location along the Greenway once construction is completed.

A PDF version of the sign can be found here.