It was just another day in the office for Len Strozier of Omega Mapping Services, Inc., except his office doesn’t have walls, and its occupants keep to themselves.
Strozier spent May 24-25 working at the Old Clarkesville Cemetery, using ground-penetrating radar to confirm speculation there are many unmarked burial sites at the historic landmark.
With an estimated 235 unmarked graves confirmed, it is clear this site is even more pivotal to discovering and documenting the stories of the individuals who founded Clarkesville in 1823.
Strozier says he loves his vocation, having mapped cemeteries in 19 states, recording more than 750,000 interments.
“Cemeteries are dynamic,” Strozier said. “And I mean that in the most respectful of ways.”
Board members working to preserve and restore the cemetery agree.
“We knew there were a substantial number of unmarked graves, but honestly, I was shocked at the number,” said Brooks Garcia, who serves on the Historic Clarkesville Cemetery Preservation, Inc. board. “This information and Strozier’s document will be invaluable moving forward. We had already planned to mark these graves in some manner, and now we know where they all are.”
Strozier will next provide a map containing precise GPS locations for both marked and unmarked graves.
