The Martin Cemetery Historic Section is the oldest part of the cemetery and is located at the southeast corner of the larger cemetery. The oldest graves in the cemetery are located in the center of the Historic Section, along a small rise in the landscape. The burials in the Historic Section are arranged in basic rows, with gravestones facing to the east. The historic section of the cemetery contains the majority of the historic burials within the overall cemetery. New burials are allowed in the cemetery for those with a family connection to already interred individuals. However, there is very limited space in the historic section available for new burials due to the existence of unmarked burials.

There are several large trees within the cemetery, with most existing in the oldest part of the cemetery now being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as the Martin Cemetery Historic Section. These trees included six Cherrybark Oak and Eastern Redcedar trees, most of which are thought to have been planted at roughly the same time, near to the date the cemetery was first used in 1833. Several of these trees, including four Cherrybark Oaks and one Eastern Redcedar trees were recognized by the Arkansas Famous and Historic Tree Program in 2011