Preservation efforts at Historic Woodlawn Cemetery in West Southern Pines continue as local veterans and business owners are working to honor those buried at the historic site, including individuals whose identities remain unknown.
According to the Southern Pines Land & Housing Trust, Morris Goins and Russell Jackson of Goins Gifts, both veterans and natives of West Southern Pines, partnered with cemetery manager Bill Ross, a retired veteran and vice chairman of the trust, earlier this year to assist with groundskeeping and other improvements.
The update was aptly made on Wednesday morning, Veterans Day.
Their latest project involves creating markers for each unmarked resting place identified through a ground-penetrating survey. Each marker will bear the letters “KBGA,” meaning “Known by God Alone,” as a gesture of remembrance for those whose names are unknown.
The trust expressed gratitude to Goins, Jackson, and Goins Gifts for their continued care of the cemetery and their efforts to help the community honor those laid to rest there.
Woodlawn Cemetery serves as an important part of Moore County’s African American history. Located in historic West Southern Pines, one of North Carolina’s first incorporated Black townships, the cemetery holds the remains of generations of African Americans, which includes military service members.
More, future include customizable landscaping packages for families interested in making further improvements to individual gravesites.
The trust concluded that additional project announcements will follow as restoration work continues.
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Photos via the Southern Pines Land & Housing Trust.
Abegail Murphy | Assistant Editor
Written by Sandhills Sentinel assistant editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021.
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