Published: The Index-Journal, Greenwood, S.C., October 2001
Background: This investigative series explored the factors endangering historic cemeteries and what can be done to protect them. Awarded Second Place for an In-Depth New Series by the South Carolina Press Association.
An excerpt from each series installment can be found under each tab below; click the image or headline to access a PDF of the full article.
“If you treat people like trash to be disposed of in death, that devalues life.”
—Michael Trinkley, The Chicora Foundation
Surveying burial sites ensures certain essential information is recorded. But much more can be lost. Look a little deeper, past the who, what, when and where, and a cemetery will give clues about the why.
Perhaps the biggest threat to historic cemeteries is that people are unaware of the existence of many small, older burial sites. Since families often buried their dead on plots of land they already owned, many sites are not marked on maps or zoned as cemeteries.
Saving a cemetery isn’t a one-time project, nor is it easy. Dick Sanders and Sam Lyons, both of whom have been involved with cemetery preservation projects, can testify to that.
“If cemeteries are going to be preserved, the bottom line is they’re going to be preserved because people–individuals–care.”
—Michael Trinkley, The Chicora Foundation