The Lafayette community, named by early settler Matthew F. Locke for his son, Lafayette Locke, developed in this area in the 1850s. Locke deeded three acres of land to the Philadelphia Baptist Church for a cemetery in 1858. The land, which already contained two family burials, became known as Lafayette Cemetery. The oldest documented grave is that of T. E. Montgomery, Locke's brother-in-law, who died in 1855. Although the community began to decline in the 1920s, this and other nearby graveyards serve as visible reminders of the area's pioneer heritage.

Read by Glenda Kinard  January 15, 2001

Graciously submitted by the Upshur County Historical Commission in an joint effort to get all the cemeteries in Upshur County compiled in a book and on the internet.  Thank you Bill Starnes.

UPDATE: Cemetery completely photographed Jun 2008 by Geraldine Little Braswell and Sandy Spann to update this cemetery listing. 

As hard as we all try, we are human and sometimes when reading a cemetery we miss a grave covered with leaves, fireants, or bushes. Sometimes the headstone has sunk and is mostly underground. Our area also has many graves only marked with iron ore rocks and even many unmarked graves. There are headstones that have long ago been destroyed by the elements or even vandalizm, and are hard to impossible to read the details. We would appreciate it if you would let us know if you did not find your relative which was buried here, and would appreciate your letting us use the information you know about them. With the combined efforts of us all, we can make the Upshur County website bigger and better.

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