Council Oks Moving of Graves for Dist. 1 School

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council unanimously agreed to allow Anderson County School Dist. 1 to move a handful of graves on land purchased for a new elementary school to a accessible location on the property.

The graves, from the 1870s and 1880s, were in a heavily wooded area that has not been maintained in more than a century. Many of the headstones are missing, others damaged, and research is still under way to determine how many bodies had been buried on the site. All are believed to be members of the Elrod family.

School district officials met with members of the family to determine what the preferred, moving the graves to a nearby church where other family members are buried, or finding an accessible site and relocating and restoring the graves on the current site. The family voted unanimously for the latter option, and the school district will pay for the work, which will cost more than $80.000.

Council also gave final approval to a $8.3 million bond for repairs at the historic Anderson County Courthouse. Some roof and structural repairs on the 125-year-old building are considered critical.

Anderson County Council Vice Chairman recaps the rest of the meeting for the Anderson Observer.