Commissioners pause development plans pending site survey for possible historic graves

Commission members repeatedly said the commission must verify the location and scope of an apparent historic graveyard tied to a former poor farm before undertaking site work.

The Chair warned that "it would be bad form and if not illegal to disturb those graves without having appropriate coordination," and the group agreed to locate the site survey completed for a past tower installation and to consult with the Department of Historic Resources and the county's historical association. Commissioners said the county cannot be the grant applicant for certain grants and that a 501(c)(3) partner (for example, the Northumberland County Historical Association) would likely be needed to pursue some funding streams.

Why it matters: the presence of human burials imposes legal and ethical constraints on land use and can affect the scope and eligibility of grant-funded projects. Commissioners asked staff to find the existing site survey (completed during tower installation) and to confirm whether historic graves exist and what preservation measures are needed.

Next steps: staff and volunteers were assigned to locate the site-survey records (Verizon or the tower installer was referenced as the firm that did prior survey work), to check with the Department of Historic Resources as needed, and to contact likely nonprofit partners to determine whether they will serve as the grant applicant.