On December 15, 1998, during a public meeting regarding the proposed widening of US 78/SR 17, Mr. Greg Harden reported there was an abandoned cemetery on his property, and that it was very close to, or within, the proposed new right-of-way. I made arrangements with Mr. Harden to visit the cemetery, and on Wednesday, January 13, I conducted the investigations. Of course, the goal of my visit was to determine if any burials are within the project boundaries. My conclusion is that none are located between the proposed right-of-way and the existing highway.
The following methods were used. First, I verified the location of the proposed right-of-way by measuring from the edge of the existing pavement and marking the spot with flagging tape. The proposed right-of-way is 150 ft from the edge of the asphalt. I then turned attention to establishing the edge of the cemetery closest to the proposed new right-of-way. Mr. Harden had bush-hogged the northern portion of the graveyard, closest to the highway, and he had also raked aside the leaf mat and small tree limbs. Several graves, marked by unmodified field stones or linear depressions, were in the cleared area. Visual inspection of the non-cleared areas established that numerous other graves are present south of these burials. These were marked with flagging tape but not individually mapped. Several parallel rows of graves were observed. The cemetery is in a clump of mature hardwoods surrounded by planted pines.
Help us to continue to make advances in research, stewardship, and bringing the past to life. No matter the size of the gift, your contribution will directly support groundbreaking archaeological research through sustaining student and outreach programs, and technological innovations. To make a secure gift online to the Archaeology Lab Fund, CLICK HERE.