Is Elbert County Ready to Destroy the Irreplaceable, Nonrenewable Cultural Heritage of its People?

Local Resident Demands Honor for All

"I thought that, at least in the South...we honored our dead...If this town wants to continue to grow and thrive, then honoring all Elberton citizens should be the path forward." - Alice Martin via The Elberton Star on May 3, 2023

Alice read our Jim-Ree co-founder's editorial with shock and dismay. She wrote in her response this week, "April's vivid description of the desecration that occurred in 1961 horrified me. I thought that, at least in the South (I am a native Georgian), we honored our dead. The thought of that level of desecration occurring with families and descendants watching made me cry."

Alice has volunteered at Pinetown Cemetery, but as a relative newcomer (who is not a resident or descendant of the Eastside community), she did not know much of the local history. She now questions local officials' motivations for previously destroying and currently neglecting a culturally and historically significant cemetery.

Someone had to ask:

• Why hasn't the County done more to help this historic cemetery? 
• Why, in 2023, is the County even considering the possibility of rezoning an area known to contain human remains -with living, local descendants at that? 
• Would this vote would be on the table if the deceased belonged to a different demographic?
• How would the Commissioners feel if someone wanted to develop homes (and access to those homes) on their ancestral cemetery?

It's all very complicated, of course, but frankly, these are all fair questions.  

Do all burials matter?

Besides, historically significant or not, aren't we all worthy of being honored in death? Don't all burials matter? Legally, in Georgia, yes. 

Burials are precious in the State of Georgia. 

• By definition, "human remains and burial objects are a part of the finite, irreplaceable, and nonrenewable cultural heritage of the people of Georgia which should be protected." (Emphasis added). 
• Regarding burial locations, "The Georgia Assembly declares that human remains and burial objects are not property to be owned by the person or entity which owns the land or water where the human remains and burial objects are interred or discovered." (Emphasis added). 
• The law requires "respectful treatment of human remains in accord with the equal and innate dignity of every human being and consistent with the identifiable ethnic, cultural, and religious affiliation of the deceased individual as indicated by the method of burial or other historical evidence or reliable information." (Emphasis added). 

Moreover, Georgia Case Law has favored leaving burials in place, but surely this is something we can settle locally without involving higher courts?

Do all burials matter in Elbert County?

Alice really wants to believe that she lives in a town that honors and respects ALL cemeteries and burial grounds. No exceptions.

We really want to believe that too.

Will Elbert County Honor the Dead at Pinetown Cemetery?

Here's what's happening now:

Eastside community members met with County Commissioners tonight to voice their concerns ahead of the rezoning vote next week.

And what's happening next:

On Monday May 8 at 5:30 PM EDT, the Elbert County Commissioners will vote to decide whether or not to accept the Planning and Zoning Commission's unanimous recommendation to DENY the developer's rezoning request for Parcel E32 037 at Pinetown Cemetery. 

Here's how you can help now:

1. On ChangeOrg, please continue to (a) comment, (b) share, and (c) donate even in small amounts, and please continue to comment, share, and donate even if you've done it already. These 3 metrics signal to Change and to search engines like Google and Bing that our story matters. And Change really does do more on their end to increase petition visibility as our numbers increase. (Comments, shares, and donations all count, in addition to signatures). 
2. On Social Media, use #SavePinetownCemetery and #SaveOurCemeteries to help others find our story and to help us participate in global conversations. Maybe there are similar cases we can learn from. And it helps to know we're not alone.
3. From Anywhere, Contact The Elberton Star to thank them for including our story in the Viewpoints editorial section. Be sure to let them know where you're calling/writing from. Order the May edition to read Alice's View (and April's View in the April edition) if you haven't already. Share the letters with friends and family without a subscription, and read them aloud if necessary.
4. In Elbert County, call your commissioner and let them know you stand with Pinetown Cemetery. Ask them to help locate graves and to help recover gravestones in Parcel E32 037. Call the local TV and radio stations and tell them you think the situation at Pinetown Cemetery needs attention.
5. In Georgia, contact your state representative and let them know what's going on in Elbert County. Ask them if there's anything they can and will do at the state level to help protect our historic cemetery from further desecration and destruction. Also, contact Georgia-based media outlets (news, podcasts, blogs, etc) to share your concerns about the potential loss of part of our cultural heritage. Tell your friends and family what's going on too. 
6. Nationwide, contact your Congresspersons and let them know that federal legislation is needed to protect ALL cemeteries and that you support special legislation to protect cemeteries that are most endangered. (A relevant proposal has already passed the Senate). Also, reach out to your favorite media station (TV, radio, magazine, podcast, etc) and tell them that a human interest issue in rural Georgia needs immediate attention. Ask them if they can recommend a particular journalist working a related "beat." Share our story with friends and family in GA and elsewhere. 
7. Everywhere, please also continue to Pray, Think Happy Thoughts, and/or Send Positive Vibes and Well Wishes!

Which one will you do today?

Let us know in the comments.

Thank You So Much!

Caption: "Mother, A Fine Guardian, Born Dec 31, 1849, Died Dec 24, 1918." We can tell from this headstone at that the person buried here was born on New Year's Eve and died on Christmas Eve, a week before her 69th birthday. She became a mother or mother-figure at some point in life, and she was honored in her death.

Alt Text: At Pinetown Cemetery, a close-up photograph of a large granite headstone surrounded by tall green grass and wildflowers with text in all caps, "MOTHER" followed by an epitaph on the next line which is illegible in the photo (possibly, "A FINE GUARDIAN") along with birth and death dates in all caps, the month abbreviated, on the following two lines: BORN DEC 31, 1849; DIED DEC 24, 1918.