The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-13
LIMITS OF THE OLD CEMETERY.
PEOPLE WE'RE BURIED OUT IN
ABERCORN AND SOUTH BROAD
STREETS.

why Floyd Street Was Laid Out.
AbercOrn street Filled With Old
Graves-That Part of the City For
merIy "a Common and Used Indis-
criminateIy rs Public Burial
GrOund-The Demolition of the
TOmbstOnes Bound 10 Come in
Time II They Are Not Removed
Elsewhere.
The question of the Improvement of the
South Broad street cemetery is general
~ discussed throughout the city. 1t is
safe to say that if the question were left
to a vote of the people of Savannah that
the vote would be about ten to one in
favor Of opening up the cemetery in the
most approved style and the bones Of
our ancestors" would be treated with
scant economy.
The spirit Of the age is fconoclas-
tic, and the majority of the peo-
PIE of Savannah are in keeping
with the spirit of the age so far as this
spirit goes. Those who oppose the open
ing of the cemetery on the ground that
they do not care to have streets and side
walk opened over the graves of those
who rest there are not aware perhaps
that streets and sidewalks are already
opened and street cars running over many
of the graves that were formerly in
cluded in the South Broad street Gene
terry, yet such is the case.
The grave Of Gov Mitchell. one of Geor-
gas early governors is said to be at the in
tcrsection of South Broad and Abercorn
streets. That portion Of AbercOrn street.
now bordering the cemetery between South
Broad ana Liberty streets ana that part
of South Broad street included IN the south
sidewalk from AbercOrn street to the
police barracks was formerly used as a
burying ground. So an old resident of Sa-
Yannah informed a Morning News re-
porter.
within my recollection, he said, "all
the land between the cemetery and Floyd
street, and south of the convent on Lib
erty street where the police barracks
ana jail are, was a common. 1t was prob
ABLY because there were graves where
Abercorn street now is that Floyd street
was cut through from South Broad street
to Liberty street. Many people have doubt
less wondered why such a street as Floyd
street was ever laid out and this is doubt
less the reason for its existence. En-
croachments were gradually made, until
the straight line of Abercorn street was
carried through to Liberty street. Three
or four years ago the city laid a sewer
along Apercorn street and a quantity
of bones and several collins We're dug
up. Some of the skulls and bones were
well preserved. When the old market
was torn down a number of years ago
a portion Of the bricks were used to lay
the sidewalk on South Broad street from
Abercorn to Habersham street, and on
AbercOrn street to Liberty street lane.
There are several old brick vaults COW
cred over by this walk on South Broad
street l remember distinctly to have
seen them at the time the walk was laid.
The present wall around the cemetery
was built, have heard about 1870. 1 was
told number of years ago by an old gen
tleman, who was well known in SaVan-
nah, that when a young man he was
a m a 10 ~ cd
the Thespians, which were organized and
gave several entertainments for the pur-
pose of raising money to build the wall
around the cemetery, 1t being then with
out a wall. With the money thus raised
and that contributed from other sources
the wall was built. As 1 understand il,
the South Broad street cemetery was
then regarded as the public cemetery,
and the common Immediately around IL,
being uncccupied, was used as burial
ground"
Nearly all the old brick vaults in the
cemetery are empty, the bodies having
been removed years ago. If the city be-
gins the work of Improvement of the GEM
etery these vaults will doubtless be lev
eled and covered over, the greater number
being situated on the portion of the GEM
etery which is not claimed by Christ
church. The location Of many of the
graves has been lost by the removal of the
headstones. During Sherman's occupancy
of Savannah the federal soldiers com
mitted many acts of vandalism in the old
cemetery, favorite sport with. them be-
I
the tombstoncs. so IS to make them re-
cord impossible ages for the deceased
Many instances of this are still to be seen
in the cemetery.
AS a matter of fact there are but few
families now residing here who are inter-
ested in the remains of those who were
buried in the old cemetery. Many
strangers were buried there, and many
families who used Il as a burial ground
have died out or moved away entirely.
If the city should undertake the work
of Improvement, it is safe to say that those
/ now living here who have relatives still
buried there would remove them to some
/ other place or accept of the city's offer to
| remove remains to Bonaventure, together
with the headstones and monuments. If
! the wall should be torn down and walks
! opened through the cemetery without re-
! moving the headstones, it would not take
many years before they would be gener-
! ally defaced and thrown down and their
! proper locations lost Evidently the best
! thing to do IS to remove all OF them to
/ some suitable place before another gem
| Grafton passes away.