Written by Evelyn Howell Sapp
Daughter of Lou Rice Howell
Daughter of William Rice
After the Rice brothers bought the land along the Mulberry River, sickness and disease came to the families. During this period of history in the Ricetown community, many of the diseases now curable had not been conquered by modern medicine. Typhoid fever, colitis, diphtheria, and tuberculosis, to name a few, swept through the community, killing babies as well as some adults. The Ricetown Cemetery was a place set aside to bury the dead on short notice. It was sometime in the 1850s that the first person was buried in what is now known as Ricetown Cemetery. At the time the first person was buried there, the cemetery had not been named. The oldest known marked grave in the cemetery belongs to Edward Sanders, in 1859. Mr. Sanders was the father of Elizabeth Rice, wife of William Rice. There are several graves marked with large rocks or stones. No one knows who they might have been. It is believed, however, that perhaps some of the graves may have been workers of the Rices. The Rices did not own slaves, since they purchased the land, for the most part, after slavery was abolished.
The cemetery is located on a beautiful hill behind the former Preston Rice home. As time passed, many generations of Rices and their descendants continued to bury there, as well as other people in the Ricetown community.
Some other families that settled in the Ricetown community over the years include Cox, Reid, James, Gardner, Clark, Frye, Hedrick, Allred, Dial, Sawyer, and others. Some of the names have married into the Rice family over the years. Men and women from these families served our country in the Armed Forces. There are veterans from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and some of the more recent conflicts.
Mr. Sam Frye and his wife, Sallie Fannie Rice Frye, lived in the Preston Rice house, and the family farmed the land. They donated and made deeds for an additional strip of land, adding to the existing cemetery. This deed was recorded in 1948. The deeds at that time named Mr. Marvin Cox and Rev. M. E. Howell as trustees. When Rev. Howell passed away, his son, Dr. Malcolm Howell, succeeded his father as trustee. Mr. Sam Frye’s daughters still lived in the home that belonged to their father and that was originally built by Preston Rice at the time this history was written. Lillie Belle and Nettie Lou always looked forward to the cemetery annual Decoration Day on the fourth Sunday in May each year and gave a warm welcome to those visiting the cemetery. This was written in 1991, and both are now deceased and are buried in the Ricetown Cemetery.
On the fourth Sunday in May each year, the relatives and friends all return and lovingly place flowers on the graves of loved ones. In the early years, they met and “cleaned the mounds” of the graves the week before Memorial Day. The friends and relatives would meet on Sunday afternoon because at that time there was no building to meet in. Finally, the families decided to build a shed-like structure for the service. The families used some old lumber that came from the dismantling of the old Ricetown School and Church building. The structure had a dirt floor. Attendees sat on planks that were fastened to the walls. Reverend Mac Howell, husband of Lou Rice Howell, was the leader and either preached or had someone come and preach the service. He took great interest in the beautification of the grounds. He, along with his children and grandchildren, set out shrubs and the magnolia trees that are on the grounds today. Reverend Howell had rooted these plants at his home before they were transplanted. The magnolia trees were limbs from trees in Reverend Howell’s yard that were buried in the ground and, once rooted, cut from the original trees and transplanted.
Prior to the cemetery having grass, the land was bare and was swept clean, and the weeds were cut with hoes. Grass was sown when power mowers became more accessible, and plans were made to keep the cemetery on a more regular schedule. From then until the present, an offering has been taken annually, and other donations have been given for the upkeep of the grounds and the chapel building.
Around 1948 and 1949, the leaders of the Ricetown community formed a committee to plan a more permanent structure for the annual meeting. The concept was a chapel building that was to look more like a church structure. The building was to be made of block, be one large room, have a large front door, church pews, and heat and electric lighting. After all that, no one at that time had air conditioning in the community. In 1951, the building was completed and dedicated to the community. There was a steeple placed on the front of the church, and the bell from the former Ricetown School and Church was put inside the steeple. The same bell that is mounted near the front entrance today was used in the community for emergencies during the 1950s and early 1960s, when the community still had no telephones.
A piano was needed for the chapel, so Mrs. Nettie Rice Merrill donated a piano. Mr. Marvin Cox, who was the groundskeeper for many years, asked that the fourth Sunday in May be made an all-day event. Since then, lunch has become an annual event. A large table was built, and many wonderful dishes are brought each year.
In the meantime, the trustees felt the chapel building seemed to be lacking something, so they contacted Mr. B. M. Ogletree, a local carpenter and cabinetmaker, to build a beautiful pulpit for the chapel.
Members of the committees and trustees who have served over the years are Nettie Lou Frye, Evelyn Howell Sapp, Marvin Cox, May Frye Dooley, Gene Sawyer, Danny Sapp, Joy Sapp, Sam Gibbs, Bud Barber, Cranston Cox, Ruby Cox, Tim Frye, Johnny Frye, Carolyn Frye, Leon Henderson, Kirk Barber, Lou Gene Barber, Bertis Russell, and others too numerous to name.
After the death of Rev. Mac Howell, Mr. Horace Dooley assumed the song leader duties at the morning service until his death in 1988. After that time, Robert Gardner assumed responsibility until his passing. Currently, at the time of this record of history, Rev. Larry Wallace has taken on the role. Rev. Wallace is the grandson of Rev. Howell and the great-grandson of William Rice.
Mr. Marvin Cox was the groundskeeper for many years until his death. Johnny and Carolyn Frye took over after Mr. Cox until Johnny passed away. At the time of this writing, Cranston “Duke” Cox and Ruby Cox take great care of the grounds.
Some of the Rice descendants still live in the general area. Many newcomers love Ricetown and help with the upkeep of the cemetery, as well as attend the annual Memorial Day service and lunch on the grounds. After all, do you not believe the brothers would have wanted it to be that way?