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Preservation advocates ask council to halt Blackberry Reserve subdivision over historic cemetery concerns
Summary
At the May 6 meeting, the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission and Genealogical Society of East Alabama urged Opelika officials to temporarily stop Blackberry Reserve subdivision work, saying burial boundaries are unclear, graves may fall outside mapped fences and the Alabama Historical Commission recommends a 100-foot buffer.
A representative of the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission told the Opelika City Council May 6 she wants construction halted at the Blackberry Reserve subdivision because a historic cemetery on the parcel lacks a clearly defined boundary.
Tiffany Hillier, who identified herself as president of the Genealogical Society of East Alabama and president of the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission, told council members the cemetery contains graves of the Hodge family, members of Saint Mark AME and Union Hill Church, Confederate soldiers, enslaved people and World War I veterans. Hillier said an earlier deed used to define the cemetery was “bogus” and that the Alabama Historical Commission lists the site among Alabama historic cemeteries and recommends a 100-foot buffer.
Hillier told the council she had documentation and photos showing what she described as damage to graves and that clearing for the subdivision placed a proposed road about 19 feet from a fence that does not reflect the cemetery’s true bounds. She requested the council temporarily halt the Blackberry Reserve subdivision while the cemetery boundaries are properly determined.
Hillier also said an individual named Joseph Dozier obtained a deed in the late 1990s or early 2000s purporting to represent the Sons of Confederate Veterans for the property; she said the camp never existed and that permits previously issued for work in the cemetery led to further damage. She told the council a city official had “put a stop to this by telling mister Warner to stop issuing permits for work.”
This item was raised during the meeting’s public comment period; council members did not take formal action on Hillier’s request at the May 6 meeting.
Why it matters: The presence of an identified historic cemetery can trigger preservation rules, buffers, permit reviews and potential delays to subdivision work. Hillier asked the council to pause construction to avoid further disturbance while boundaries are verified.
