The cemetery was created in 1869, 22 years after Hendersonville First Presbyterian Church was founded. While it was common for churches to sell pews to raise money, this church created a cemetery and sold plots for five dollars each. It is believed that the church cemetery originally contained one hundred plots (though many headstones and grave markers are currently missing). The cemetery contains the remains of many of the church's founders as well as fourteen Confederate veterans, including Major General Daniel Smith Donelson, the original owner of the church property.