The old Folly Road from River Road leads one into the upper side of what locals call the Follies where the Sentell, Shepherd, Dalton, Orr, and other families lived and where remains of an old Shepherd cemetery is located.
The cemetery was located along a trail that runs up the ridge line.
The cemetery has been disturbed and vandalized. Eleven grave stones were counted. Three are still upright. Two of the graves were dug up in acts of vandalism.
Head and foot stones are scattered around the site.
There was a larger cemetery at the top of the ridge with about 18 graves, but those graves have been destroyed within the past 30 years. Today, a large tree is down on the spot of the larger cemetery and no evidence of stones could be seen.
Both cemeteries are located on property listed in the Henderson County tax office as belonging to the Shepherd Family Limited Partnership.
Peter Shepherd (Sheppard) was living in this area of the Big Willow community as early as 1820.
The graves within the two cemeteries are most likely those of descendants of Peter Shepherd and his wife, Penelope Merrell, daughter of Benjamin Merrell.