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Hartsville approves grant application to survey Marion Avenue Cemetery, seeks to identify up to 300 unmarked graves
Summary
Council approved a $35,000 grant application (50% match) to fund ground-penetrating radar work at Marion Avenue Cemetery to locate an estimated up to 300 unmarked graves; council discussed fundraising, prior state funds, and steps toward perpetual care.
Hartsville City Council on April 8 approved Resolution 042503 to apply for a South Carolina Department of Archives and History grant to continue work at Marion Avenue Cemetery.
City staff said the grant request would be for $35,000 with a required 50% match of $17,500 to fund a ground-penetrating radar survey that staff estimate could identify "up to 300 unmarked graves" at the historic African-American cemetery. The council discussed earlier state funds used for the wall and rose garden and noted that citizens had previously raised more than $5,000 for cleanup and preservation efforts.
Council members and staff said the city budgets annual maintenance for the cemetery and that acquiring the property for perpetual care will require additional legal work and time. "It's going to take some time," a staff member said, noting title and ownership questions must be resolved before permanent acquisition.
Council approved the resolution on a voice vote. Staff said future steps will include determining match sources, potential perpetual-care accounting, and returning to council with more detailed recommendations as the project advances.
