LePageville Memorial Cemetery master plan presented to Chatham County commissioners

Dan Fisher, a landscape architect with EMC Engineering, presented a master plan for the nearly forgotten LePageville workers' village and its cemetery at the Chatham County Board of Commissioners meeting. Fisher said the cemetery sits on roughly 3.85–4 acres near East President Street and that "perhaps as many as 500 individuals have been laid to rest there," with only a handful of marked graves relocated for safekeeping.

"The intent of the presentation is to provide an overview of the nearly forgotten village and cemetery of LePageville," Fisher said, describing a design that would add a brick walkway through the arch, a gathering area with a memorial stone listing names, benches, interpretive signage and a trail circling the woodland burial area. Fisher said the plan envisions a small parking area with accessible spaces and a veteran's memorial.

Kenneth Rouse, who introduced the presentation, said the group began work before the pandemic and revived the effort in recent years. Fisher described earlier research and preservation efforts: volunteers collected records, an arch was installed in 2007, the site was listed in the Chatham County Historic Resource Inventory and an interpretive sign was added in 2014. He said prior ground‑penetrating work "located about 20 locations" consistent with burials and that limited documentary evidence — roughly 70 death certificates referencing LePageville Cemetery — exists.

Commissioners asked about next steps to secure historic designation. Chairman Chester Ellis directed the presenters to meet with Melanie Wilson, director of the Metropolitan Planning Commission, and pursue a historic survey grant as the first step toward a National Register nomination. Fisher cautioned the process can take years but said county assistance with a grant and an employed historian is the correct pathway to a federal nomination.

The presenters said the intent is to maintain the site as a memorial and park, not to reopen it for new internments. They also noted ongoing cleanup events and fundraising by the LePageville Memorial Cemetery Corporation and work with preservation partners such as Friends of Live Oak Forest.

The board thanked the presenters and encouraged follow‑up coordination with county historic planners and staff.