COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County is seeking help to support historic African American cemeteries in the area.
The county submitted a grant application to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action fund to assist with four of Cobb's historic African American cemeteries, according to a release. The four listed in the application are Sardis Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Old Ebenezer Cemetery, Noonday Extension Cemetery and Little Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery.
Cobb's Historic Preservation Commission Chairwoman Bev Jackson said the county needs help with maintenance, boundary delineation, identification of unknown graves and more, as the cemeteries' needs are long-term and immediate.
"We see this as just the beginning of our plan to address the needs and concerns of our historic African American cemeteries in Cobb," Jackson said.
The grant would pay for a consultant to perform archaeology surveys for the four cemeteries and write a maintenance manual. The surveys would help define cemetery boundaries and identify locations of unknown graves. The manual would be provided to help give specific directions on restoring and maintaining the cemeteries.
For anyone wanting to get involved in helping restore and maintain these cemeteries, contact the Cobb County Historic Preservation Planner, Mandy Elliott, at mandy.elliott@cobbcounty.org.