[2][3] The cemetery was established in 1837, when William S. Randolph, an early settler of Holly Springs, donated the land.

[4] The railings were designed by the Jones, McElwain and Company Iron Foundry prior to the Civil War.

[4] It is known as the "Little Arlington of the South" in allusion to the Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.[3] Notable burials include five generals of the Confederate States Army:[4] Samuel Benton, Winfield S. Featherston, Daniel Govan, Edward Walthall, and Absolom M. West.

Other notable burials include Wall Doxey, Benjamin D. Nabers, Hiram Rhodes Revels, and James F. Trotter.

Also buried there are painter Kate Freeman Clark,[5] the wife and son of Alamo defender Micajah Autry, and architect Spires Boling.