Why Historic Elmwood Pinewood, Inc. (HEPI)?

To answer that question requires one to go back to the year 2000 and the City’s announcement of a proposed commuter rail line from Uptown Charlotte to Mooresville to the north and Pineville to the south. While the project was hailed as monumental and much needed, it was met with a variety of concerns. One of which was the removal of 900-some graves from the city-owned Elmwood and 9th Street Pinewood Cemeteries.

The now former Historic Charlotte, Inc. and Friends of Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association mounted a campaign to preserve these grounds.  By 2004, they had accomplished their goal. The city and state agreed to move the new tracks to the other side of the existing rail line. Both cemeteries remain intact today and have local historic designation. Both of these cemeteries were designed to serve a dual purpose—that of a burial plot and a park-like atmosphere. In fact, a national landscape architectural movement called the Rural Cemetery Movement, promoted this dual use. Living relatives would bring picnic lunches. Children would play in the grassy areas. Easter and Halloween parades were held here. The first ‘municipal swimming pool’ was created when Irwin creek was dammed. Our eighteenth-century Revolutionary War cemetery, Settlers,’ also became a focal point of interest as nearby condominium living blossomed.

HEPI is the result of 20 years of developing interest and a recognition of the need to restore and preserve these monuments to the past. The names on the tombstones are a veritable who’s who of business, industry, government and the like.

Working together

Partnering with community organizations provides an opportunity for all organizations to expand their potential and impact.
To that end HEPI is currently partnered with: