The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-02-16
Upper Long Cane Cemetery.

Recently We <Ad occasion to visit Upper
Long peetery, and we were pleased to
see tha1e1Shds In much better condition than
we had ever before seen them. We were i'm
with one fact, however to which we
would now refer, and that Is, the very crowd
ed condition of the grounds. The graves are
SO close that there is scarcely room between
them on which TO walk. A funeral procession
going in at the gate would find 1t difficult to
make their way any great distance without
walking over graves. and as for driving
through the cemetery with q vehicle, that Is
entirely out OF the question. Is we under
stand it, the church, or the congregation as n
corporate body. Is the owner OF perhaps sew
enty-five acres of ground. This being true we
see no good reason for %crowding many hun
dred bodies into the narrow limits now as
signed for the intcrmcnt OF the dead. The
cemetery will no doubt be used as a burying
ground for ages 10 come, and 1t occurs 10 us.
that we might as well lay off the grounds
with a view to that end. Within ourrecollec-
tion additional ground has been taken In, and
although this additional ground was appro-
priated for the burial of the dead only a few
years ago, 1t is now nearly full OF ci~osely-made
graves with very few narrow walks, and no
large passage-way for q hcarse or other vehicle
of my kind.
This condition OF this sacred place, in
our opinion, should not longer exist. Larg-
or grounds should be appropriated. and wide
walks, and roads or passlgc-ways for vehicles
should be kept open. Although the lands
about the cities are Of much value, while the
land about Upper Long Cane church has been
rating at four or five dollars an acre. IL w WIS.,
it any of the cemeteries in the large cities 1t
will be seen that the graves are not nearly SO
much crowded as they are at Upper Long
Cane. 1t seems to us, where we have SO much
land, that we might give the dead sufficient
room to allow friends and strangers q path TO
visit their last resting place. The majority
of our country cemeteries, with their nun
dreds Of crowded graves, marked by nonu-
ments and marble slabs, resemble more the
appearance OF huge marble yards, where
such marbles are kept for sale.
Let twenty, thirty or even forty acres be set
aside for grave yards like Long Cane, and then
lay of the ground in some system, leaving
roads and walks ut proper intervals In 1.-THE
city OF the dead" Then those who may feel
disposed to do SO, will have room to bcautify
the grounds.
The first thing to he done in the work which
we have proposed is to organize q board OF
trustees or other guardians; then have the
grounds laid off into proper divisions; have
u diagram or map showing such divisions,
and the name of the owners of the separate
lots. When this is done, the whole should be
put in charge OF a sexton. Such a person
could be secured almost without cost to the
authorities. A house should be erected m
mediatcly on the grounds so laid of, in which
the person in charge should live. and be ready
at all times to furnish such information and
assistance as might be needed. The perqui-
sites of the Office would be sufficient remun-
Grafton for q competent person.