When I first visited the New Concord Cemetery, I was amazed at
how many headstones carry the infamous Compass and Square symbol
used by the Freemasons, which prompted my first attempts at
researching this hallowed ground. During that research, I came
across an article written by Charles A. McCuiston in the 1931
edition of the "History of Calloway County".
History of New Concord
We have no record further back than 1828, but old folks tell us
that the first store that was put up here was where the New
Providence and Murray roads now fork, and this store was built in
1819; but we have no date on it further back than 1828. At that
time this country was inhabited mostly by the Stubblefield
family.
Mrs. A.J. (Mitt) Stubblefield has some old letters written to
this place dated October 8, 1828 from James Barnett, Leakville,
Rockingham Co., NC, to Robert C. Stubblefield, Humility, Calloway
Co., Ky. That was the name of this place at that time. That records
show that about 1831, the name was changed to New Concord, there
being another Concord in the eastern part of Kentucky, and between
1831 and 1835, they added the word "New" to it, making it New
Concord.
The first person buried in the New Concord Cemetery, according
to the old people's memory, was Jackie Stubblefield. The oldest
marked tombstone in this graveyard is Jas. Barnett, who died
September 22, 1835. From an old letter, written September 19, 1837,
tobacco at that time was selling from 3 to 5 cents per pound. In
the year 1848, P[eter] M[ackness] Rowlett established a tobacco
manufacturing plant. The first two brands of tobacco made were
named "48" and "Old Dominion". Several years later, his son,
Jeff[erson Davis] became a partner. His father was getting old, so
Jeff became manager in 1889. His father died, so Jeff continued on
with the factory and in 1903 he moved it to Murray and is still
making those two old famous brands. Back in the [18] 50's and [18]
60's, the tobacco business came to be of great interest in this
community.
In 1861, the Civil War broke out, and the United States put a
revenue on tobacco, so a great many people did not think it was
right, and a lot of them began smuggling tobacco. It would now be
called bootlegging. It put this factory to the bad.
In the 70's Pink Stilley founded a wagon shop here which made
wagons and sold them to the people of the county. They worked 15 or
20 men in this shop and sold the wagons for $150. The town had
grown to about 150 inhabitants. It has two drugs stores, two dry
goods stores, one saloon, one hotel, one church, a Masonic lodge,
two tobacco factories and two doctors: Dr.Bowling and Dr. Lynch,
and old Dr.Lynch decided he wanted to eat a piece of dog meat. So
he decided to kill a dog, cook it and give a big dog dinner. He
asked in his neighbors and fiends. Everything that was cooked had
some of that dog in it. Some would not eat any dog; but you see
they got some dog anyway.
At one time the wealth of Calloway County was in and around New
Concord. Some of the biggest men this county ever had were born and
reared in New Concord. The only millionaire the county ever
produced was born in New Concord.
About 1845, the Masons of this community bought a large bell
weighing about 150 pounds from a steamboat which sank in the
Tennessee River near here. This bell was used on the Masonic
building, and the old Union Church which was the same building. It
is now used by the New Concord High School.
In 1919, the New Concord Milling Company was established here by
A[lbert] G[allatin] Smith. It operated here for six years but it
got too big for this place and Murray did not have a flour mill, so
it was moved there in 1925.
At the present time[1931], this town has about 100 population.
It has a grade A four year high school, two stores, one blacksmith
shop, one garage, on church, one doctor and a post office.
This is the true history of New Concord and the community
according to the best information and knowledge I have of it, I
have lived in this little city for the past forty
years.
The New Concord Cemetery is the final resting place of Wiley
Lent Mallory who was a private in Hogan's Co. Tenn. Mil. during the
War of 1812. The 1850 Federal Census for Calloway Co, Ky lists
Wilie Mallory as 62 years old with an occupation as Constable. He
was buried here in 1872.
Additionally, the New Concord Cemetery is the final resting
place for several Confederate Soldiers, including:
You are looking for an ammo can hidden just outside the cemetery
grounds. Please be respectful of your surroundings while searching
for the cache.