Did you know?

Resting peacefully in Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon, is the Ransone Mausoleum.  This beautiful resting place has been here since 1880.  Unlike most of the other mausoleums in Rose Hill, this one contains a tragic, yet odd true story, and it contains the answers to the case of the lost soul of Rose Hill.

Inside, the remains of James, Sarah, and Julien are buried.  While reading through “Rose Hill Rambles,” we noticed that in the 1840 Census of Hancock County, you can find James, his wife, and son.  A decade later, the same county’s census listed the dad as a farmer and noted that he and his wife were from Virginia.  Although that’s interesting, what stood out was Julien’s story.

According to the book mentioned above, the 1880 Census of Bibb County listed Julien and his mother, Sarah, as borders on Vineville Avenue in a cottage next the top of Hardeman Hill.  Sarah died in 1883, leaving Julien alone with his landlady.

In an obituary dated April 14th, 1899, it revealed Julien committed suicide, and it was quite a popular topic of conversation.  It appears he was a well liked man; he just didn’t know it.

Also noted in his obituary, he took a man with him down to this very vault just days before he ended his life to “clean and scrub” the place where he would soon be interred.  Later, The Macon Telegraph reported that “Ransone leaves all to the landlady.”  His estate was worth around $100,000.

One must wonder: Could a spirit return to clean its own burial monument from time to time?

Hey!  I hope you enjoyed this true story as much as I loved exploring it!  This information came from the book “Rose Hill Ramble,” which is a fascinating one that covers most of Rose Hill Cemetery, Macon.  Stop by the Visit Macon Office and get you a copy to learn more stories like this!  Also, you’ll notice that all of the Rose Hill photos are taken during the day.  Please know that it is illegal to be there at night without proper permission. If you study the picture below, you’ll notice damage done by a pickaxe on this monument. Please do better. Always do your part to keep Rose Hill beautiful!

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