Richland County unveils cemetery‑mapping effort, aims to protect hundreds of burial sites

John McKenzie of Richland County's Conservation Division presented a cemetery‑mapping initiative at the Dec. 2 council meeting, saying staff have surveyed roughly 517 known cemeteries and expect the count to rise "closer to 700" as volunteers and additional DNR data are incorporated. He said DNR archaeologists had mapped more than 1,400 cemeteries across the state and about 100 in Richland County.

McKenzie demonstrated a phone app the county plans to use to record cemetery boundaries as polygons rather than single point markers. He said the polygon approach is more accurate for permitting and planning and helps prevent developers from unintentionally disturbing burial sites. "I learned it in just a couple of hours, and I got to do my first cemetery late last week," McKenzie said, describing the app's corner‑by‑corner recording method.

The presentation included example images showing differences between a single point and a polygon boundary and an example of a "close call" where development nearly encroached on a burial site. McKenzie said staff, council members and trained volunteers could use the app to improve the county's GIS and protect sites during permitting.

Council members thanked staff and noted the project's role in preserving remains and informing permitting decisions. Councilman English noted private stewardship examples, and other members emphasized using GIS to share location information with the public and developers to reduce accidental disturbances.

Next steps discussed included training staff and volunteers, continuing the survey to expand the county list, and coordinating with DNR archaeologists. McKenzie said the mapping will be an ongoing project and that even partial or amateur data improve protection compared with a single point marker.