Preserve the past. Protect the future.
We specialize in historical preservation and restoration.
About Shiloh Cemetery Vancleave, MS
Shiloh Cemetery's Origin
The land for Shiloh Cemetery was originally deeded in 1885 by individuals to the Methodist Church under the direction of the Seashore District of the Mississippi Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Shiloh Cemetery is located on Humphrey Farm Rd off Hwy 57 at Van Cleave, MS. After the Methodist Church burned in 1904 and relocated, Shiloh Cemetery went unused, became overgrown and was abandoned.
One of the original families buried at Shiloh Cemetery was the direct relation to Col. Ray Devereaux USAF ret’d. In 1956-57, Col. Devereaux personally recovered the cemetery, cleared the over-growth, trees and stumps and re-set many of the tomb-stones that had been knocked over. He also paid for the chain link fence installed around the cemetery, resurrected and maintained the hallowed ground for many years. Over the years he personally made tomb-stones for all of his family members buried at Shiloh, and eventually he was laid to rest with his family following his death in 1976.. For the next 35 years, Evelyn Devereaux, Col Devereaux’s wife, faithfully continued her husband’s legacy by insuring that Shiloh was maintained as a Christian Cemetery. Following the resurrection of the cemetery, local families began to request burial plots and Shiloh now has over 200 persons interred in the cemetery.
Shiloh Cemetery Now and Future
In 2010, in ill health, Mrs. Devereaux discussed the status of the cemetery with the Methodist Church, and as a result, the Seashore District of the Methodist Church
deeded Shiloh Cemetery to a 501 C-3 non-profit corporation, Protect Our Coast, Inc. This non-profit Corporation’s sole focus is on reducing chemical pollution and protecting the islands and the Pascagoula River for future generations.
For the past 24 years, the cemetery has been maintained by Mr. Robert Hardy. Protect Our Coast, Inc. is now the legal owner of Shiloh Cemetery and the deed is properly recorded at the Chancery Clerk’s office at the Jackson County Courthouse. The owner and President of Protect Our Coast, Inc. is Mr. Robert Hardy who is the son-in-law of Ray and Evelyn Devereaux. Robert was married for 44 years to their daughter, Michele Devereaux.