Sand Hill Cemetery was formerly known as Erwin Cemetery. This cemetery has its beginning a good while before the Civil War era, possibly before 1850. The earliest tombstone found was for a death in 1852. It is believed that this cemetery was begun on a plantation belonging to the Erwin family, pioneers of Des Arc and Prairie County. The land adjoining the cemetery is still a plantation, now owned by the Southwest Land Company, whose president is Grady Miller, Jr.
On March 9, 1949, trustees of Sand Hill Missionary Baptist Church, who at that time were: Edward A. Randleas, Lee Wright, and Lonnie R. Harris, purchased some land adjoining the cemetery and a church was built. Since that time a Sand Hill Cemetery Association has been formed, and on July 6, 1987, additional land was purchased from Southwest Land Company for an addition to the cemetery.
Many of the older tombstones are deteriorated, or have been destroyed; many never had tombstones and the name plates are gone.
The above material was compiled by Louise Walker Yielding and Viva Coffman McClain for a 1987 cemetery logging.
