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Madison County cemetery commissioners urge Anderson airport board to stop plowing suspected 'poor farm' burial site
Summary
A member of the Madison County Cemetery Commission told the Anderson City Airport Board that a one‑acre 'poor farm' cemetery east of the field contains at least 70 graves and asked the board to halt plowing while the site is verified; the board agreed to avoid further disturbance pending confirmation.
Russ Wallace, a member of the Madison County Cemetery Commission, told the Anderson City Airport Board during public comment that a one‑acre site just east of the airport fence is the county's 'poor farm' cemetery and said county records list about 72 people buried there. "There are at least 70 graves," Wallace said, and he told board members the site appeared to have been plowed last year.
Wallace said the cemetery is not marked with tombstones because the interred were indigent and that historical county lists and a close-up aerial image show the plot and the aisles where graves lie. He urged the board to "leave it alone" and offered the commission's assistance, including the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and county plat maps, to determine the precise boundaries.
Board members acknowledged the concern and discussed verifying the site's location before any future field work. One member asked whether a survey or county plat could clarify exact boundaries; another noted the cemetery commission has GPR equipment and offered to bring it to the site. The board agreed to avoid further disturbance of the suspect area while the location is verified and to coordinate with county records and the cemetery commission.
The matter remained a request for investigation rather than a formal action. The commission representative said records list 72 names; visual and aerial evidence led the commission to estimate at least 70 graves. Ground-penetrating radar and county plat maps were discussed as the primary tools to confirm the cemetery's location before the next planting season.
Board members and the cemetery commissioners said they will work together on next steps, including pulling county property maps and, if warranted, performing a GPR survey to establish the site's boundaries. The board did not adopt an ordinance or formal protective measure during the meeting; instead members directed staff to coordinate verification work with the cemetery commission.
