Cemetery Hill Project

09/03/2026

At Clemson University's Cemetery Hill Project, our research frequently takes us away from the main campus to explore the deep ancestral roots of our surrounding communities. Today, we want to shine a spotlight on two historic, inactive burial grounds located in nearby Seneca, South Carolina: Oak Grove Cemetery and Mountain View Cemetery.

Both of these sacred spaces are currently owned and maintained by the City of Seneca, but they represent two distinct chapters of the area's segregated past. Mountain View historically served the area's white community and features a commemorative gateway plaque erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1933. Oak Grove historically served Seneca’s African American community, standing today as the oldest known public Black cemetery in Oconee County.

Despite the historical divide in life and rest, the stories of the individuals buried within both gates are deeply intertwined with the growth and daily operations of the early Clemson Agricultural College and the SC Upstate. Our genealogical work relies on historical documents to reconstruct these lives, and we frequently find powerful structural connections in the archives. Notably, on numerous early death certificates for individuals interred at Oak Grove starting in 1915, we find the signature of the attending physician: Dr. Bryant Sebastian Sharp. Born locally and educated at Leonard Medical College, Dr. Sharp returned home to become Seneca’s first African American doctor. His signature marks a legacy of profound community care for the very families, laborers, and craftsmen whose hands built the foundation of Oconee County and Clemson University. Our mission is to reconnect these families, honor their contributions, and ensure that their full history is preserved.

Descendant Community Connection: Do you have ancestors buried in Oak Grove or Mountain View, or stories of Dr. Sharp's medical practice? We would love to hear your family stories and learn more about your connections to the area. Drop a comment below or send us a message!

09/01/2026

🧡💜 The students are back at Clemson University and the Cemetery Hill Project team is looking forward to resuming its programming for the 2026 fall semester. Scan the QR code below to access our online request form for tour inquires, newsletter sign ups, and more. Please allow us two business days to respond to your request.

🪦 The team is offering tours of Cemetery Hill at Clemson University. Cemetery Hill includes three burial grounds on campus: the African American Burial Ground, the Andrew P. Calhoun Family Plot and Woodland Cemetery. Come learn about Clemson life and history! Please note that our team's best availability is on Mondays and Wednesdays.

📫 Sign up for our monthly online newsletter and stay updated on the team's upcoming programming, ongoing research, engagement with community groups, and so much more.

🎙️ The Cemetery Hill Project team invites folks to share their stories with us and contribute your voice to our growing archival collection. Help us preserve and memorialize the memories of Cemetery Hill and reflect on the multifaceted layers of history at Clemson University.

08/25/2026

🔔 Interested in tombstone carving and gravestone geology? Please join acclaimed stonecutter David Gillespie for a Headstone Carving Demonstration on Tuesday, October 27th from 2:00 - 4:00pm at the Hopewell Carriage House Archaeology and History Field Lab at Clemson University. 💜🧡

📜 Participate in an introductory lecture on hand carved gravestones, watch David carve a 1740s era slate reproduction tombstone, learn about different stone types in cemeteries, and so much more!

➡️ Register for the event by scanning the QR code below or by using this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?prevorigin=shell&origin=NeoPortalPage&subpage=design&id=9vibDK3Mh0uBjUkCaTiqlw38I4wKgRpGkN1loJymkRhUOEoySVpCVE9XUkhOTFhVNTA0M1JTWVQ3Vy4u

Hosted by David Gillespie from Pumpkintown Primitives ⚒️ and the Cemetery Hill Project at Clemson University 🪦

08/24/2026

Collaboration is often the best way to accomplish amazing projects. Over the summer, members of our team assisted with the construction of a replica palisade wall at Fort Rutledge, an American Revolutionary War-era site. Rick Owens and Spencer W. Roberts helped harvest trees from the University Forest, cut the logs to length, put points on one end and char the other end to better resist rot, and installed them at the entrance to the site.

The goal was to complete the construction by the August 1st anniversary of the Battle of Esseneca, which occurred 250 years earlier in 1776. The location of the Esseneca native village is now beneath Lake Hartwell and Fort Rutledge is one of the only sites from that period that remains to represent and share that history.

The build process involved dozens of people contributing unique skill sets and expertise. The group completed preparation of the site one day before the event, which had over 130 attendees to learn about the history of the fort and reconstruction project.

The project involved many people who deserve thanks for their support, including but not limited to: Richard Owens, Josh Catalano, Patrick Hiesl, Jessi April-Rose Jenkins, Naomi Gerakios Mucci, Durant Ashmore, Garland Veasey, Robert C. Craig, Bill, Ron Weber, John Eby, Anthony Herrera, the Zorn crew, and many more. Funding support from .

Before Clemson University and the Clemson University Forest occupie...

08/21/2026

As our summer season comes to a close, the Cemetery Hill Project team has been reflecting on the incredible ways we’ve connected with the wider genealogy community over the past few months.

On July 17–18, 2026, our team traveled to Columbia to attend the South Carolina Genealogical Society’s 53rd Annual Workshop, hosted by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Immersing ourselves in state records, connecting with fellow researchers, and learning new archival strategies help us bring even deeper dedication to uncovering and preserving the histories of those interred on Cemetery Hill. Whether we are in the field mapping graves or combing through state archives, every step is driven by a commitment to accurate, respectful, and thorough genealogical research.

Thank you to everyone who made this summer of learning, fieldwork, and community engagement so impactful. As we look ahead to the fall, we are more energized than ever to continue sharing these stories!

08/18/2026

🔔 Interested in a tour of the historic Cemetery Hill and the famed Clemson Football Graveyard? Please join us at our back-to-school event on Thursday, September 10th from 4:30-6:00pm. We will be giving tours of the African American Burial Ground, the Andrew P. Calhoun Family Plot, and Woodland Cemetery, as well as a special presentation on the football tombstones and Clemson life and history.

💜🧡 Don't miss the chance to walk the Tiger Walk, meet Tim Bourret, Clemson's Sports Information Director, and special guest Clemson Football alumni. Light refreshments will be provided.

Event details:

Back-to-School Cemetery Tours of Cemetery Hill and the Clemson Football Graveyard
Thursday, September 10th
4:30-6:00pm
*** Meet at Cemetery Hill's North Gate on Press Rd between the cemetery and Memorial Stadium gate 16

➡️ Register for your tours using the QR code below or with the link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?prevorigin=shell&origin=NeoPortalPage&subpage=design&id=9vibDK3Mh0uBjUkCaTiqlw38I4wKgRpGkN1loJymkRhUNDlUOE0xUFlERjVRSzJPRzNSUkhNSlE4RC4u&topview=Prefill

Hosted by the Cemetery Hill Project 🪦 and Clemson Athletics Football 🏈

08/11/2026

A major milestone for our community partners at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pendleton. All 400+ grave markers are officially cleaned after many hours of hard work from dedicated members of the community and students from the Cemetery Preservation Creative Inquiry-Clemson team.

The featured before and after pictures of the grave marker exhibit the six month cleaning process. First, the lichen, moss and surface dirt are scrapped with a plastic scraper. Next, the gravestones are scrubbed and rinsed with a soft brush and water. Then, a coating of D2 biologic is sprayed on the surface and worked into the stone for roughly 15 minutes followed by another scrub and rinse. Finally, an additional coat of D2 biologic is applied which will continue to work itself for the weeks ahead between rain and showers.

This upcoming fall semester, Dr. Spencer Roberts and his Creative Inquiry team will continue the important work of restoring grave markers, surveying and documenting the locations of grave sites, and conducting research on the families interred at Abel Baptist Church in Clemson.

08/10/2026

On July 30th, the team responsible for creating and operating the Hopewell Carriage House Archaeology and History Field Lab traveled to the state house in Columbia to accept a Preservation Service Award from Preservation South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, and the Governor’s Office. The award recognized "outstanding leadership in transforming the historic Hopewell Carriage House into the Hopewell Carriage House Archaeology and History Field Lab—a model of preservation, education, and public engagement that is advancing the practice of historic preservation across South Carolina."

The carriage house restoration was led by Rick Owens, Historic Preservation Officer, with support from across Clemson, including: Department of History and Geography; Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice; University Facilities; Office of the University Historian; and Office of the Provost. The lab became operational in summer 2025 and is now used by archaeologists, historians, and cemetery preservationists. Justin Williams, Josh Catalano, and Spencer W. Roberts accepted the award on behalf of the entire team.

Throughout the year, the lab is host to artifacts being cleaned and cataloged, headstones being repaired and restored, and workshops on specialized field skills. You can support the lab's growth here: https://iamatiger.clemson.edu/giving/giving-to-clemson?id=1870ba93-4547-4f89-a6ae-b8621c5d9492

08/06/2026

On July 25, 2026, the Broyles-Collins Family Reunion made a powerful and deeply moving trip to the Simpson and Taliaferro Cemetery, located at Clemson's Piedmont Research and Education Center. This journey was dedicated to commemorating their ancestors, Samuel and Lillie Ella Collins, who were enslaved at Mt. Jolly—a plantation that formerly stood just yards away from the cemetery grounds.

The site holds a complex intersection of local and family history. Also buried in the cemetery is Zachariah Taliaferro Broyles, enslaver and former owner of Mt. Jolly. Nearby rest Richard Wright Simpson and his wife, Margaret Taliaferro Simpson. R.W. Simpson served as the lawyer to Thomas Green Clemson and played a pivotal role in coordinating the transfer of Fort Hill Plantation—previously owned by US Statesman John C. Calhoun and his wife, Floride—to the state of South Carolina for the express purpose of establishing Clemson Agricultural College, now Clemson University.

Visits like this remind us why our work on the Cemetery Hill Project and local African American family history matters so deeply. Descendant journeys bring the names, lives, and legacies of those who were enslaved on these lands out of the shadows of the archives and back into the living present. We are honored to walk alongside families as they reclaim their histories, honor their ancestors, and bridge the past with the present.

07/30/2026

The South Carolina State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (SCDAR) is hosting their 2026 Genealogical Summit on Thursday, 20 August, in Columbia, SC.
This one-day genealogical summit is open to the public and to anyone interested in tracing ancestral roots and family history.

State and national genealogy experts will conduct workshops on locating a Revolutionary War ancestor, from identifying the ancestor to collecting and presenting documentation to verify their residence and service.

The cost is $50 and includes a buffet lunch! Register early as spots are limited.
Visit southcarolinansdar.org for registration and details.