Spring Lake church acting with 'fierce urgency' to raise money to relocate unearthed grave

The caretakers of a historic cemetery in Spring Lake are holding a fundraiser for the cemetery's upkeep and to cover the cost of relocating a gravesite unearthed by Hurricane Florence in 2018.

The fundraiser to benefit Hillside Cemetery is Sunday at 3 p.m. at Bethel AME Zion Church, 255 Vass Road in Spring Lake.

The small cemetery is next to Williams Chapel Free Will Baptist Church at the corner of Bragg Boulevard and Chapel Hill Road. The land on which the graveyard rests is bisected by a road and drainage ditch, giving it three distinct sections.

Aside from small headstones dotting the field, the site is not marked or gated and is easily missed by the thousands of daily commuters heading to and from nearby Fort Liberty.

"The oldest marked gravesite goes back to 1905 and among them are veteran markers from Vietnam, Korea and World War II," according to a flyer from the church.

The church said that after Hurricane Florence hit, caretakers discovered the storm had unearthed a casket. The area near the cemetery was among the hardest hit by the category 4 cyclone. A motel not far from the cemetery washed away when the Little River breached its banks, damaging dozens of businesses in the area.

"This is an emergency situation because a heavy rainstorm could further damage the unearthed coffin and cause it to fall and open," the church's fundraising announcement said. "This is our biggest need. Therefore, we must act with fierce urgency to raise the money and make the necessary repairs. We are asking both our military and civilian community to help."

Land once owned by the Murchison family

The Fayetteville Observer reported in 2002 that the land for Hillside Cemetery was conveyed by Lucy Gillespie Murchison to three trustees in 1938. The deed stipulated that it be used as a cemetery for Black people who lived in Manchester, now called Spring Lake. For years before Murchison donated the property, Black families from the area had buried their family members there.

Lucy Murchison was the daughter of Duncan and Catherine Murchison and the granddaughter of Kenneth Murchison, the Scottish immigrant who settled in the community of Manchester, according to historical documents.

"It is our desire to restore the Hillside Cemetery as a place of solemnity where people come to remember their loved ones. We are mandated to create the decency and respect that is required for these hallowed consecrated grounds," Bethel AME Zion Church said in the fundraiser announcement. "Our immediate problem is an unearthed grave, and the cemetery is heavily overgrown with tall grass and bushes.

"Unfortunately, as a small congregation, we need help to raise the money and set up a Perpetual Care Fund that will help us to relocate the damaged gravesite and get a groundskeeper to clean the entire cemetery." 

The details

Event: Fundraiser for Hillside Cemetery

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

Where: Bethel AME Zion Church, 255 Vass Road Spring Lake.To donate: Checks or money orders can be made out to Bethel AME Zion Church and mailed or dropped off at 255 Vass Road, Spring Lake, NC, 28390. Donations can also be made online at givelify.com/donate/bethel-ame-zion-church-spring-lake-nc-2j7wy5MTk1MDI.