Cemeteries are outdoor history museums, artistic sites, archives, and scenic landscapes.  Too many are also neglected or abandoned.  Richland County Conservation Commission recognizes the importance of identifying, researching, and preserving the burial grounds that connect us to family and community heritage. RCCC has funded several phases of monument restoration at Randolph Cemetery in Columbia as well as research and mapping of the Goodwyn and Reese cemeteries in Lower Richland.

To develop a comprehensive list of cemeteries in the county for descendants, researchers, developers and planners, RCCC awarded a grant to Chicora Foundation.  Their first objective was to combine various lists, eliminate duplicates, determine tax parcel information for every cemetery and identify additional cemeteries through research and outreach to the public. The second objective was to visit all the known cemeteries to document location and condition. The results of their intense research identified 503 cemeteries throughout Richland County. The location of an additional 41 cemeteries could not be accurately determined.

Final Report on the Location of Cemeteries, Graves, and Burial Grounds in Richland County, SC

Chicora Survey Listings

Chicora Cemetery Survey Form

Other reports funded by RCCC on cemeteries in Richland County:

Identification of Graves and Mapping of the Goodwyn Cemetery, Richland Co., SC

Preservation Assessment and Mapping of the Reese Family Burying Ground, Richland County, SC

Long Time Gone: Fort Jackson’s Disinterred Cemeteries

Phase IV Monument Restoration Randolph Cemetery, Columbia, SC