The Noel family plantation was established in April 1844 by Yorick Noel about
ten miles southwest of Mobile on the land southeast of what is now the
intersection of Cottage Hill and Hillcrest Roads. Yorick never married and
his brother Theodore inherited or bought the plantation. About 1900 Saint
Simon and Saint Jude Catholic Church was built on the northern edge of the
plantation at 6321 Cottage Hill Road and a cemetery was begun just east of
the church. The earliest date of death in the cemetery is 1900, although some
early graves may have been moved from a family cemetery on the plantation. The
church was hit by lightning and burned in 1951 but was rebuilt. By the 1970's
the city limits of Mobile had expanded west to Hillcrest Road, the plantation
had been sold and was covered with subdivisions of new homes, and the intersection
of Cottage Hill and Hillcrest had several small businesses. When the parish built
a new church farther west, the old building was sold to a Methodist church, then
later moved; a fast food restaurant now stands on the site. Today Noel Cemetery
stands on a block of small businesses, surrounded by chainlink fence with wood
fencing covering two sides. It is still an active cemetery and is maintained by Noel
family descendants. Most of those buried here are the Theodore Noel's son Benjamin and
his descendants.
The cemetery has eight rows of graves running north-south with all tombstones facing east.
In the middle is a tenfoot wooden cross with a lifesize Christ painted on plywood.
The cache is located in the back left corner of the cemetery. Please be respectful when entering and take the time to observe some of the history of Mobile you will find here.