From the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office booklet "Preserving Georgia's Historic Cemeteries".

Lithonia, incorporated in 1856, is a community of 2,187 residents located in DeKalb County. Lithonia means "City of Stone." Although its early settlers were primarily farmers, after the Civil War, Lithonia became a granite producer, and the first quarry opened in 1879. Many African Americans left farms for jobs as laborers in the quarries, and lived in a community known as Bruce Street, adjacent to the Lithonia One Cemetery. This African American cemetery became the property of Davidson Mineral in 1929. In 1971, Davidson Mineral deeded the cemetery to the Lithonia Civic League, an African American organization founded to promote civic pride and to fight discrimination.

The Lithonia One Cemetery occupies 6.7 acres in mostly unincorporated DeKalb County. The Friends of Lithonia African American Cemetery (FLAAC) was formed to preserve the cemetery and develop a maintenance plan for its continued care. Volunteers, led by Barbara Lester, a member of the Lithonia City Council, worked diligently on weekends to remove debris and fallen trees. FLAAC raised funds to clear the cemetery and also nurtured partnerships. FLAAC received assistance from the Georgia State University Heritage Preservation Program. Students from the Historical American Landscapes and Gardens class provided a research report that FLAAC will use for future preservation initiatives. A National Register nomination is also being considered to document the cemetery's historic significance. FLAAC is also working closely with the Arabia Alliance to ensure that Lithonia One Cemetery is a viable site in the recently designated Arabia Mountain Heritage Area.