Overgrown and forgotten cemetary in Summerville sparks community action

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – Concerns about an overgrown and seemingly forgotten cemetery along a busy road in Summerville prompted community action.

If you blink, you may miss it. The old Jones Cemetery is located in the median in front of Walmart on North Main Street.

Angela Lafayette shared her concerns about the cemetery’s upkeep, hoping that something could be done to restore the section of land.

“I posted about it because I’m a local who has lived here my whole life, and I drive past it all the time. It just looked abandoned, and I felt like there was something the community could do about it, including myself,” she said.

The small property is filled with weeds, trash, and overgrowth.

“I just feel like a lot of people go by it every day; it’s unnoticed and we can make a difference in that,” Lafayette said.

Her post about the cemetery received hundreds of comments – including one from Tyler White.

“I posted on there stating that, you know, I don’t care who owns it. I don’t care what the problem is – just mow the thing. The people who are laid to rest here, they deserve that at the least,” he said. “You’ve gotta remember that’s somebody’s mother, that’s somebody’s father, that’s somebody’s daughter, son. What’s right is right.”

When asked for an interview about the cemetery, White said he would just bring his lawn mower and rake with him.

“I figured everybody’s gonna talk about it. I’ll just be about it. I’ll mow it, get it taken care of, and then go from there,” he said.

Lafayette and White decided to knock out a good bit of the work Monday. White said he may need to come back later for additional clean-up before the work is complete.

Lafayette said she loved the response her social media post received. “I love it. It makes me really happy to see that a lot of people want to help,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting this much outreach and I’m very thankful for it and I think it’s such a blessing.”

Several people have reached out to Lafayette offering to help with trees or other elements that need to be dealt with. But as far as maintaining those, White said he is willing to come back on a somewhat regular basis to try and make sure the cemetery property upkeep continues.