News from Oconee Hill Cemetery

Previous Events at OCH

Veterans Remembered at Oconee Hill Cemetery
- photo from UGA Columns
- article from onlineathens.com
- athens.patch.com

Veterans Day Observance held on November 11, 2011

Annual Meeting

The Campaign to Save the Iron Truss Bridge

Oconee Hill Cemetery's iron truss bridge, built by the George E. King Bridge Company of Des Moines, Iowa, and dating from 1899, is not only the sole connection between the original portion of the cemetery on the west side of the Oconee River and the "new," now over 100 years old, sections on the east side, but is also an architectural and archeological gem in its own right. Unfortunately, the bridge has not been properly maintained since the city of Athens and the Georgia Department of Transportation ceased caring for it decades ago.

Understanding that the bridge must be preserved and made safe for cars, trucks and foot traffic, the trustees and Friends of the Oconee Hill Cemetery have joined together to study the condition of the bridge and to create a plan for repairs and maintenance.

In 2009, the Friends sought and obtained a $7500 grant from the Athens Area Junior Board of the Watson-Brown Foundation for an engineering analysis. The firm of Hatch Mott MacDonald of Atlanta was engaged to inspect the bridge and to prepare a report on its load rating together with the recommendations for its rehabilitation. The HMM team leader, Garrick Edwards, has over 20 years of experience in inspecting, rating and designing bridge structures, including projects with trusses constructed of the same style and in similar condition as Oconee Hill's bridge.

"The Bridge Repair and Rating Report," which included cost estimates for repairs needed to preserve the bridge and keep it safe and serviceable, contained both good and bad news. The good news is that the bridge is basically sound (its weakest section can carry a load of 9.4 tons) and should serve the cemetery well for the future. The bad news is that addressing the various problems with the bridge and its approaches will be extremely expensive.

Members of the Friends Project Committee, assisted by Edwards and others at HMM, have researched ways to reduce costs and to break the projects into parts. The top priority is cleaning and painting that will control rust, limit deterioration and insure preservation. Oddly enough, structural repairs are viewed as less pressing than the issue of preservation: the bridge must be maintained first, improved later. As time goes on, repairs will become more apparent and thus easier to make once the bridge is cleaned and the rust controlled.

The community is rallying around this project and the good news is that a recent $9300 grant from the Watson-Brown Foundation together with a generous lead gift from Sylvia M. and Robert E. Gibson mean that it is now time to start preserving this cherished bridge. Eric Delony, chief of the National Park Service's Historic American Engineering Record, says. "This is a stunning bridge! I never dreamed Georgia would have a bridge of this quality and vintage…Thank God your bridge was relocated to a cemetery. That's the only reason it survives, and it appears to be in service." Pontists, bridge aficionados, who have examined the bridge declare it one of the best preservation potentials for any highway truss bridge in the state.

For Further Reading:
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2011-11-28/historic-cemetery-bridge-restored
http://athens.patch.com/articles/friends-of-oconee-hill-crossing-bridge-with-restoration
http://onlineathens.com/stories/082211/new_874433307.shtml

Charlotte Marshall, the Voice of Oconee Hill Cemetery

Charlotte Marshall's book, Oconee Hill Cemetery of Athens, Georgia, Volume I, tells stories about the lives of many of Athens' famous individuals who are buried in the Oconee Hill Cemetery and is thought to be the only book about a cemetery to sell out by the anniversary of its first printing.

Published in November 2009, it is actually a revision of Marshall's first book that was published in 1971. It is a story about the rich history that Athens and its Oconee Hill Cemetery offer the community.

Information about hundreds of the community's servicemen that are buried in the cemetery is included. Published by the Athens Historical Society, all 800 copies of the book were sold within weeks after publication. Friends of Marshall joke that she has been selling copies faster than she can make them.

The book is the first of three volumes that will eventually cover the entire cemetery. Volume I documents the oldest part of the cemetery.

Copies may be purchased in the Athens area of Five Points at the Add Drug Store or Appointments at Five. The books are also available at the Athens Welcome Center and Aurum Studios. Cost is $55. Marshall's book can be ordered online from the Athens Historical Society.