Commissioners approve relocation of newly identified graves to East Lawn Memorial Park in Crystal Lake subdivision

Henry County commissioners voted Sept. 3 to approve a permit for the relocation of 16 unmarked graves discovered by radar survey on a lot within the Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club subdivision. The applicant proposed moving the newly identified remains to East Lawn Memorial Park in McDonough, where 35 previously identified graves from the White-Foster family cemetery had been relocated in 2004.

Planning staff said the application met statutory requirements under OCGA and local permitting rules for disturbing or relocating abandoned cemeteries. An archaeological ground-penetrating radar survey identified 16 additional unmarked graves on the parcel; the applicant said some of the earlier 35 graves had been marked and some were unknown. The applicant and county staff said East Lawn Memorial Park is the same cemetery where the original 35 were reinterred.

Several speakers addressed the board during a public hearing. Opponents urged caution and respect for historic burials, noting the cemetery may date to the 1820s and that radar surveys cannot guarantee there are no more burials. Supporters including the lot purchasers said they have researched the chain of title, worked with the Henry County Genealogical Society and a funeral home that handled the 2004 relocations, and intend to fund and reunite the family burials at East Lawn.

Planning staff recommended approval with conditions; commissioners included a condition that if more than the 16 identified graves are found during work, activity must stop and the board must review the matter further. After discussion, the board approved the permit and required conditions by voice vote.

Speakers at the hearing noted historical sensitivity and the limits of remote sensing; both the applicant and staff said any additional graves disclosed during excavation would be treated with the same care and returned to East Lawn in coordination with cemetery staff.