This historic cemetery has a grave for an arm, with a marker etched with an arm, of course

On a recent visit to Newnan, Ga., to tour some movie filming sites, my friend Rebekah and I stopped at historic Oakhill Cemetery for one purpose: to see an arm grave. Before heading out on our trip, I’d seen a story about the unique grave so we made a detour specifically to find it.

The grave was flush with the ground and marked with a small rectangle embossed with an arm. It was buried several years before its owner died.

The grave of the arm of John H. Keith, who lost his arm in a saw mill accident. (Kelly Kazek)

The arm belonged to John Harrison Keith, who worked in a sawmill. A tragic accident in the mill led to the loss of his arm and he insisted on giving it a grave.

The rest of John’s body is buried nearby. He was born in 1865 and died in 1947.

Oakhill was founded in the 1830s and has more than 12,000 graves. It includes some beautiful funerary art, particularly the Parrott family monument. The Parrott family was prominent in town and built the gorgeous Victorian that has been featured in several films, including “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” and “The House With a Clock in Its Walls.”