Historic cemetery trashed
By Diana Royal dianar@thetruecitizen.com

People have been dumping trash at historic Mt. Zion Cemetery. Staff - Diana Royal

Burke County continues to have problems with packed dumpsters and litter-covered roads, and now trash is piling up on private property.

That property happens to be a historic cemetery - one that local folks have put time and money into preserving.

Amongst the gravestones and Confederate flag memorials at Mt. Zion Cemetery now lies piles of rolled up carpet, crumpled cigarette packs, Styrofoam cups and even more scattered trash.

"It's a shame that someone would do this," Wayne Crockett, county commissioner and member of the Mt. Zion Cemetery Preservation Committee, said, adding that the cemetery is not a landfill, and people should respect those who are buried there.

Crockett, along with other Burke County citizens, created a fund to help preserve the old cemetery and dug into their own pockets to put up a sign to make the cemetery entrance more visible.

He said he hopes the public will understand the work that's been put into cleaning up and repairing Mt. Zion Cemetery. "We don't want visitors to be surrounded by trash when they come," he said.

(Editors note: To help with the continuation of cleanup and repair efforts, donations can be made to the Mt. Zion Cemetery Preservation Fund, P. O. Box 724, Waynesboro, GA 30830.)