BETHEL GROVE UNITED METHODIST CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC
A.K.A. Seneca, SC
Version 1.0, 21-Jul-2002, C219a.TXT, C219a
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LOCATION:
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Located in Oconee County, on property belonging to the Oconee County Regional
Airport. The cemetery was located just N of the W end of the landing strip -
they now call this the Jump Area. There is no trace that a cemetery was ever
located there.
Latitude N 34 40.342 x Longitude W 82 53.388
HISTORY:
--------
The tombstone recordings were published in the 28-Jul-1999 issue of the
Journal/Tribune and The Messenger newspaper.
The following will document the relocation of burials from the cemetery of the
former Bethel Grove United Methodist Church, Oconee County, South Carolina. The
work was necessitated by the proximity of the Oconee County Regional Airport.
The cemetery lay less than 150 feet from the western end of Runway 7 and
constituted a violation of runway safety criteria. After issuance of required
public notices in the local press and a survey of the site, removal of the
burials was completed in November 1999. The physical labor associated with the
removal of these graves was contracted to Phil Ellen & Associates. Legacy
Research Associates and TRC Garrow provided archaeological monitoring throughout
the project.
The project was completed in two phases. The first phase consisted of probing
the cemetery to determine the approximate number of graves that needed to be
relocated. This work was conducted on September 27 and 28, 1999. The second
phase of the project was the actual relocation of the graves. This work was
conducted between November 8 and November 18, 1999.
The work resulted in relocating 258 graves. At the request of relatives, five
of the graves were moved to Memory Gardens Cemetery in Clemson and one to Oak
Grove Cemetery in Seneca. The remaining 251 graves were reentered at a
specially reserved plot at the Mount Nebo Baptist II Church, approximately one
half mile west of their original location.
Phase 1. Cemetery Probing and Mapping:
The initial stage of fieldwork was conducted on September 27 and 28, 1999 and
consisted of the identification and marking of probable graves followed by
mapping of the entire cemetery to facilitate the removal process.
Identification and making of potential graves was conducted by Phillip Ellen &
Associates. This work was monitored by a team of three archaeologists: Deborah
Joy, Pat Garrow, and Michael Wild.
Steel probes were used to verify the presence of graves suggested by surface
indicators and to locate probable graves not otherwise identified. This method
was used because, in general, the earth that fills the grave shaft is less
compact than surrounding undisturbed soil and therefore yields more easily to
the probe. Once an area of disturbed soil was encountered, further probing in
the same vicinity revealed the extend of the disturbance. A wooden stake was
positioned at the estimated eastern end, or 'head' of each grave. Probing
resulted in identifying 390 potential graves. These potential graves were
numbered individually and the number was written on the stake using an indelible
marker.
Probing was conducted across the entire cemetery and in areas adjacent to the
recognized cemetery boundary. Several graves were found beyond what was
believed to be the southern boundary. A visual inspection of the ground to the
north of the road revealed that it had been recently graded and there was no
evidence of graves in this area. Mrs.Louise Hayne, a local resident, who
visited the cemetery during the initial survey, recalled that the cemetery did
not extend north of Airline Road and that a house had once been located there.
While some of the graves could readily be identified from the presence of
memorials, most of the graves were without markers or other surface indicators.
Out of the 258 graves relocated from this cemetery, only 32 had gravestones or
markers. Topographic disturbances also aided in the identification of unmarked
graves. For example, shallow depressions or slumps within a cemetery frequently
occur above graves and are formed by the collapse of the decaying coffin and the
subsequent collapse of the soil used to fill the grave shaft.
Following the probing, the archaeological team established a 50-foot interval
grid over the cemetery. The grid was used as a reference to map the location of
the 390 wooden stakes set in place during the cemetery probing phase of the
project.
Phase 2. Cemetery Relocation:
The second phase of the project, which comprised the removal and reburial of the
graves, was conducted between November 8 and November 18, 1999. Each workday
began at 7:30 AM and typically ran until 5:00 or 5:30 PM. Ten full days were
required to complete the project including Saturday, November 14. No work
occurred on Sunday, November 15.
The removal process began at the eastern end of the cemetery with the backhoe
removing the soil above Probable Grave #1. Work continued along the same row of
graves, gradually working westward. As the topsoil was removed, it was possible
to verify the existence of the probable graves and to identify any that had been
missed by probing. Identification was aided by the recognition of the slightly
darker and less compact soil within the grave.
Once a grave had been positively identified, the fill of the shaft was removed
by backhoe. Darker soil stains within the grave generally indicated the
presence of decayed wood of a wooden coffin. Backhoe excavation continued until
the top of the coffin was researched. From this point excavation continued by
shovel.
All physical remains of the body, clothing and coffin, and all associated
artifacts were placed in a new container for reburial. Each container was
marked with the same number used to identify the grave. Metal caskets or
concrete vaults were lifted out with a crane. In one instance, the metal casket
was so corroded that it could not be lifted and in this case, the casket was
disassembled to allow removal of remains.
Although 390 potential graves were identified by probing, only 247 of these were
graves. An additional 11 graves that had not been recorded in the survey were
located during the backhoe excavations. These graves were identified by a
number the incorporated the adjacent grave number and the letter "a" or "b." In
all 258 graves were disinterred from the cemetery. The original field map was
modified throughout the project to reflect either the absence of a probable
grave or the presence of a grave that had not been detected through probing.
A photograph, believed to have been taken during the 1980s, suggested that the
cemetery had recently been cleared of scrub. It is likely that the over
estimation of graves in the initial survey resulted largely from soil
disturbance caused by tree-roots and their subsequent removal.
At about 3:30 PM each day removal of burials would cease. The backhoe would
fill the excavated graves with soil and ensure that the site was level. Work
would then transfer to the main re-interment site at Mount Nebo Baptist #2
Church. Latitude N 34 39.957 x Longitude W 82 53.811 The graves are located in
a separate burial area, in back of the church. Reference cemetery profile C86.
The final three volume report documenting the relocation of the cemetery can be
viewed at -
- South Carolina of Archives and History
- Oconee County Clerk of Court
- Walhalla Public Library, 975.721 Bon-Harper, SC Room
By: Legacy Research Assoc., 1030 W. Trinity, Durham, NC
DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Sep-1999
HISTORY WRITE-UP : Journal/Tribune Newspaper in Sep-1999
Legacy Research Associates at djoy@legacy-research.com
in Mar-2000
LIBRARY REFERENCE: Walhalla Public Library in Mar-2000
LOCATION WRITE-UP: Journal/Tribune Newspaper in Sep-1999
Legacy Research Associates in Mar-2000
TRANSCRIPTION .. : Journal/Tribune Newspaper in Sep-1999
Legacy Research Associates in Mar-2000
TRANSCRIPTION NOTES:
--------------------
a. = age at death
b. = date of birth
d. = date of death
h. = husband
p. = parents
w. = wife
BROWN, Frank H., b. 22-jul-1940, d. 17-mar-1968
CONLEY, Makkrey, b. 1893, d. 5-oct-1934
CRARANCEF,(?), b. 22-oct-1916, d. 8-jun-1918
GANT, William, d. 8-apr-1939
HARRIS, James, d. 18-may-1942, a. 64y
HARRIS, Sarah, b. 12-feb-1882, 21-jun-1942
HARRISON, Levand, b. 2-may-1886
HARRISON, Lucretia, d. 10-nov-1930
HARRISON, Rance, b. 1876, d. 5-oct-1934
KIBBLER, Infant, d. 10-apr-1898, s. of elias & dora kibbler
MOSS, Lizzie, d. 2-jul-1916, h. sam moss
NICHOLSON, G.W.N., d. 12-jul-1890
PETTIGREW, Alice, d. 7-feb-1910, h. a.pettigrew
PETTIGREW, Bob, d. 3-aug-1910
PETTIGREW, Thomas, b. 28-jun-1908, a. 36y
SEAWRIGHT, Enoch, b. 8-sep-1860, d. 19-apr-1908, p. wesly & gillie seawright
SEAWRIGHT, Jeanie, b. 25-dec-1861, d. 4-apr-1929
SEAWRIGHT, Willie, b. 11-jul-1886, d. 24-apr-1917, p. enoch & jane seawright
SHIFLETT, Jones, d. 1-dec-1880
SPENCER, Della, d. 14-jul-1964, a 82y
SPENCER, Jim, b. 1880, d. 1963
SPENCER, Jim, d. 11-jun-1968
WAKER, Mary, d. 12-sep-1973
WORDIAN, J.R., d. 18-apr-????, a. 71y
WRENN, David E., d. 20-nov-1976
WRIGHT, M./N.
NOTE: Approximately 139 unknown/unmarked graves also exist.