I have got to update that web page. I have a list of about 18 names now to go with those 12 graves. A big goal of mine in the clean-up is to figure out where the other graves are. Probably have us all meet at the nearby (sort-of) lookout tower parking lot on Sassafrass Mountain around 1:30 since that is an easy to find on the map location. Folly Gap Cemetery isn't. Leave the weedeater behind - not enough room to manuever. But we'll need some serious pruning clippers. There is a laurel hell trying to take over. Good move not to wait until summer to visit - lot's of snakes. Hopefully the dry trend will continue. I really don't want to get too close to my ancestors. The plan is that March 22, weather permitting, to clean off the brush and secretly abduct the survey marker. If any one fusses, the Chairman of the historic properties commission suggested that I do it. Come to find out, the survey marker was placed there by the state. Apparently they are still trying to sort out where the line is between NC & SC (Come on people, you've had over 200 years!). Hope they don't run into any moonshine stills this time. I'm trusting they are done with this little section. This is good news. If they do sell the lot, it should put the cemetery on the edge of the property and I doubt anyone would build a house there. That's the problem with these developments. You don't know if the person who buys it will be friend or foe, or even just someone with an over active bulldozer. The brush is pretty overwhelming. The folks at the abandoned cemetery committee swear they cleared it off recently. I just replied that it was not to my families standards and we would do it ourselves. I've been in a lot of old cemeteries and this one is pretty bad. Once we can see what we have to deal with, we can figure out what to do (weekend #2). We can't put in a fence until we determine where the original fence, if there was one, was. If we can find the old fence, we will know where to look for the graves. Then there are the TREES. How do we get them down without destroying the few markers I don't know. It is going to take some thought. It will have to wait until next time. Probably need to wait until the trees are gone to add the gravel. I promised we would only be removing brush this go round and discussing what to do next. So far, the developers have been amazingly helpful with this and another nearby cemetery, Liz Reece Cemetery. The development is "Indian Camp Mountain Estates". Maybe the thought of my finding real live dead Indians there is appealing to them. They've already named the road leading to Liz Reece cemetery Liz Reece road. That's another issue with this cemetery. At least one grave appears to be part Cherokee. Liz Reece Cemetery, where I was today, has really got some Cherokee blood in it. This is great - no one can touch a cemetery with Native American's buried in it. Of course, that kind of applies to us to some extent. I have been requested by tribal members to put cedar boughs on any Native American graves instead of plastic flowers. Do you have any other ancesters up here that you would like to visit? I'll try and figure out where they may be hiding. wdarnold@wtsrv1.mar.lmco.com wrote: > Linda, > Hello, I am a direct decendant of John and Kizza G. thru Wm. Frazier and wm. > McDaniel and Harve. > My name is William Donald Arnold, Jr. I go by "Donny". Sherry Osburn told me > to tell you about my concerns. I have included the letter that I also sent to > her. I would like to be added to any Galloway pages/mail/whatever... > I would like you to post/distribute my letter to all affected members. > I am very concerned about what follows........... > > MESSAGE SENT TO OSBURN@BELLSOUTH.NET > The few minutes I have during my lunch have been spent doing my family research > and yesterday I found out a heartbreaking story about Folly Gap.. A family > member? on the internet has a page posted on the cemetary and she/he says it is > in ruin. Out in the middle of the woods with overgrown brush, trees, and > whatever else grows in the wild. Have you ever read this write-up or been to > find the graveyard?? The writer claims that there are developers in the area > now and they have put a survey marker on one of the graves. She/he could > identify 4 or 5 of the graves(out of 12 I guess). There is also a NC state > marker on one of the corners of the graveyard that says " Abandoned cemetary > #23" or something like that.. My wife has the copy of the writeup and I can't > refer to it as I write you now.. > If this is all true, WE NEED TO ACT NOW to ensure the state, developers, etc > doesn't dig up (or even build on) some or all of the graves.. Can you please, > please look into this for me please?? I was planning on trying to make a trip > up there as soon as it gets warm and after I finished with gathering the info > for your Galloway pages. But, I am willing to make a trip very soon( 2-3 > weeks from now and carry my chainsaw, weedeater, fencing, gravel,etc and make a > work weekend out of it. All that I am interested in doing is preserving that > place out of respect for my and your ancestors and NOT let the state dig up and > move these graves to somewhere they don't belong... Our GGGGgrandparents chose > to be buried there and I want to keep it that way. > Sorry so long winded (again). It's been a great last few weeks by finding you > and your willingness to share what you know with the family and not 'HORDE' the > info that you have. THANK YOU.. Now I guess it's my turn to help the family > now with Folly Gap.. > Please reply ASAP............... Thanks, Donny Arnold > END OF MESSAGE SENT > > I am willing to go to Folly Gap on friday and camp out there (tent, sleeping > bag,etc.) and get the place fixed up. I will have to leave Sunday evening so I > can be at work monday am. I will need sponsors, materials, and physical help > in this endeavor and it'll probably take a couple of weekends to get it done.. > But, they are definitely worth it.. they are the reason for all of us that are > here now, right? > My email is wdarnold@wtsrv1.mar.lmco.com > Please email ASAP -- Linda Hoxit Raxter lraxter@citcom.net See Indexed Western North Carolina Cemetery Surveys http://www.geocities.com/~alextreehouse related to at least half the county - at least once ; )