[3] Founded in 1886, it has since served as the burial place for many leaders in the civil rights movement including Julian Bond and John Lewis.

Founded February 1886, the cemetery was an effort of nine African-American businessmen including Jacob McKinley, George W. Graham, Robert Grant, Charles H. Morgan, John Render and Albert Watts, all who wanted a safe, secure place where their family members could be buried with dignity in the midst of backlash to Reconstruction.[4].

[6] A non-profit foundation was created in 2004 to raise money, conduct preservation projects and provide care for historic parts of the cemetery.

[10] With the exception of Martin Luther King Jr., who is buried at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, all the deceased pastors of Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church are buried here as of 2016.

An annual ceremony as part of Wreaths Across America has been held in December starting in 2010.