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The white bricks of the wall at the Barnwell County Memorial Cemetery are no longer made. Repairs done with cinder blocks have been met with discontent over appearance. Now, the wall is coming down entirely.
After incidents causing damage and numerous repairs, the antiquated brick wall in front of the Barnwell County Memorial Cemetery is coming down.
At Barnwell County Council’s November 14 meeting, Councilman Don Harper gave an update on this decision made by the services committee to demolish the wall.
The white brick with an ‘X’ design (inset in the more common red brick of the wall) is no longer made. The most recent time the wall was damaged by a vehicle collision, it was replaced with gray cinder blocks. This was met with discontent from the community based on the appearance of the wall.
In addition, the 1950s style wall is currently being uprooted by surrounding trees and shrubs, and is still recovering from the recent collision.
The overall appearance of the cemetery has been a major concern of the community since last year. In May 2022, an amendment to the cemetery ordinance was approved by the county council changing the ability to personalize plots. This amendment enabled groundskeepers to “mow and weed-eat the cemetery more effectively and efficiently.”
Community concern came five months later when the amendment went into full effect on October 19 when county personnel removed items on grave sites that were in violation of the ordinance. Some of these items included fake flowers, solar lights, statues, benches, and other sentimental mementos.
Resulting from these concerns was the resurgence of the Barnwell County Memorial Cemetery Committee, which has been tasked to gather input on what should replace the wall.
“As a committee, we all agreed that it was time for the wall to be removed,” said Joey Hair of the Barnwell County Memorial Cemetery Committee. “As stated by Councilman Harper, the bricks of the wall couldn't be replicated and the wall is pretty much obsolete after 71 years, multiple accidents, and several attempts to repair.”
Some ideas include a wrought iron fence, a hedge line, or simply no wall.
Concerns include safety of the graves right beyond the wall in the event of another vehicle collision. The wall served as a barrier against vehicles going off the road.
“We look forward to working with the county on the replacement of the wall to update the appearance of the current entrances to the cemetery,” said Hair.
According to Councilman Harper, the demolition will be handled by county personnel and begin in the near future.
