Center, Shelby County
The First United Methodist Church Cemetery, one of the oldest in Shelby County, is located in the Nancy Smith survey of land deeded by Judge M.W. Wheeler and Sam Samford to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The first burial was that of a small child in 1861. The last recorded burial was in 1939. Most of the burials in the cemetery are before 1900. Thirteen Masonic members, five Civil War veterans, a minister, doctor, and numerous businessmen, including R.L. Parker, the father of Center, are buried here. The cemetery has been beautified with blooming plants and a flagstone walkway. Several family plots are marked with antique iron fencing.