By Associated Press
Mexia AL – The Old Salem Baptist Church's cemetery, with a rare grave shelter and stones dating to the early 1800s, has been added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
The state historical commission announced Aug. 9 that the cemetery's unusual structure warranted its listing on the register.
The church also had been nominated but modifications to the building disqualified it, the commission said.
The church and cemetery are about 100 miles northeast of Mobile, near Mexia in Monroe County. Old Salem Baptist, founded in 1817 with 156 members, is thought to be the oldest church in Monroe County, the Press-Register reported Monday.
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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister