“A small family cemetery that started in 1770.” That’s how Hawkins Gate Cemetery is described. We are standing at Hawkins Gate Cemetery. It’s a place where the past whispers from beneath old iron gates.
Hawkins Gate Cemetery began as a final resting place for the Hawkins family. It is located in La Plata, Charles County, Maryland. The family’s story stretches far beyond these grounds. They trace back to Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, and California.
Henry Holland Hawkins rests here. He died on March 11, 1770. But the immigrant Henry Hawkins, his father, is not believed to be buried here.
Look around. You’ll notice several Hawkins family members. Colonel Samuel Hawkins is here. He lived from 1766 to 1830. Mary Hawkins is here too. She was Samuel’s wife. She was born in 1778 and died in 1852.
Josiah Henry Hawkins Sr. is buried here. He lived from 1800 to 1889. His wife, Sarah Weems Hawkins, is also at rest here. She was born in 1808 and died in 1896.
The cemetery holds stories of shorter lives as well. Eleanor Marshall Hawkins lived only a few months. Willie Marshall Hawkins lived just a year.
Elizabeth Hamilton is buried in Hawkins Gate Cemetery. She died in 1915. Mary Emily Hamilton rests here, too. She passed away in 1876.
Reverend Moses Hock Hunter is here with Nannie Hunter. Dr. John W. Hawkins is another Hawkins family member. He lived from 1839 to 1925.
The last burial at Hawkins Gate Cemetery took place in 1932. It was James Ellen Marshall Hawkins. The cemetery is small. But it holds generations of history.
The iron gate surrounds the cemetery. This keeps it safe. It also marks it as special. People care for it.
To find Hawkins Gate Cemetery, you’d travel on Highway 488. It’s south of the intersection of Highway 488 and 6. Then you would turn onto Hawkins Gate Road. The cemetery is on the west side. It sits within a housing development.
Take a moment to appreciate this peaceful spot. Hawkins Gate Cemetery connects us to the past. The cemetery is a reminder of family. It shows the lives lived. It memorializes those who shaped this land.