Athens, Clarke County

When Athens’ Oconee Hill Cemetery, founded in 1856, began to show its age, a group of committed volunteers stepped up to restore the property. Since 1999 the Friends of Oconee Hill Cemetery have been remarkable stewards of the property, undertaking projects such as restoring the historic Sexton’s House and the iron truss bridge that connects two portions of the cemetery on different sides of the Oconee River, creating a memorial plaza dedicated to war veterans, and coordinating the construction of Wingfield Chapel. The group has also made significant improvements to the landscape through necessary removal of trees and the planting of new shade trees, and the reclamation of the overgrown Old Paupers Burial Ground and the African American Burial Ground.