MEMORIAL ECOSYSTEMS CEMETERY, Oconee County, SC A.K.A. Westminster, SC Version 2.3, 8-Aug-2004, C227.TXT, C227 **************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization, or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Paul M Kankula - nn8nn Seneca, SC, USA Oconee County SC GenWeb Coordinator **************************************************************** DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Jul-2002 G.P.S. MAPPING . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Jul-2002 HISTORY WRITE-UP : ____________ at ____________ in _______ IMAGES ......... : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in Jul-2002 TRANSCRIPTION .. : ____________ at ____________ in _______ CEMETERY LOCATION: ------------------ Locate intersection of Highways 76 and 123. Drive NW 2.9 miles on Highway 76. Turn right on Cobbs Bridge Road and drive N 1.0 miles. Cemetery is located on the right side of the road. Memorial Ecosystems Inc., 113 Retreat Street, Westminster, SC, 29693, 864-647-7798 Latitude N 34 40.764 x Longitude W 83 14.991 CHURCH/CEMETERY HISTORY: ------------------------ Note: The old C254 Cross Roads Baptist #2 Church has been moved to this cemetery location and will be restored and used as a chapel. Published on 09/17/2000 in The State newspaper. By JOEY HOLLEMAN Staff Writer Sunlight filters through the forest, and the mountain stream gurgles in the background. The only tension in the air arises from the game of tag between hawks and crows overhead. You don't have to see a grave site to realize that the cemetery operated by Memorial Ecosystems at the Ramsey Creek Preserve takes an unusual perspective on burials. Memorial Ecosystems is the creation, and the passion, of Billy and Kimberley Campbell. The couple from Westminster hope to engender change in an industry built on tradition. The Campbells preach the simplicity and utility of an environmentally Sensitive cemetery. No clear-cut property covered with straight lines of headstones. No fancy metal caskets stuck in the ground, never to be seen again. Just 32 beautiful acres in the mountains where family members can take a hike and stop by their loved one's unobtrusive grave. "Contemporary cemeteries seem so cold and sterile," said Kimberley Campbell, 42. "When people choose to be buried here, the whole 32 acres is like a memorial to them." Billy Campbell, 45, said he believes people are beginning to question the traditional burial process. His personal doubts began about 15 years ago when his father died. "We spent about $5,000 on the funeral," he said. "I thought, 'Gosh, for that we could have bought five acres of land and built a real memorial for my dad.' " That planted the seed that grew into the Ramsey Creek Preserve just off U.S. 76, north of Billy Campbell's hometown of Westminster, in Oconee County. Though eight people have been buried in the preserve, it's still very much a work in progress. A nonprofit corporation has been set up to run Ramsey Creek Preserve. Memorial Ecosystems, which charges for burials at the preserve, will remain a for-profit company. The Campbells plan to rescue an old Baptist church set for destruction and move it to a clearing at the preserve. But for now, the project remains so small that the Campbells refer to the burial sites by the first name of the deceased. "We talk about going down by Dave's grave to do some work," Billy Campbell said. Most of the grave sites are clustered near the main loop trail through the property. Only 3 percent of the preserve will have grave sites. The entire concept of Memorial Ecosystems is to leave things to nature, in the biblical dust-to-dust manner. Caskets must be biodegradable, either cardboard or wooden. Commemorative stones, whether engraved or not, should be of rock that is typical to the area andmust be laid flat. Bodies can't be filled with embalming chemicals. "We want people to feel that what they're doing with their money is helping with the environment," Kimberley Campbell said.Proponents of the "green" burial movement contend that people shouldn't put embalming chemicals and metal vaults and coffins in the ground. Memorial Ecosystems goes even further, setting aside the land as a preserve. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources selected the Ramsey Creek Preserve as oneof three winners of its statewide environmental stewardship award last year. One major goal of Memorial Ecosystems is to preserve undeveloped land. Another is to provide economical, ecologically friendly burials. Because of the savings on embalming and caskets, burial at Memorial Ecosystems could cost less than $2,500, according to the Campbells. The National Funeral Directors Association estimates the average cost for a traditionalfuneral and burial at $7,500. Some of that covers transportation of the body, which isn't covered in Memorial Ecosystems'estimate. The funeral industry disagrees that traditional burials harm the environment. "They may be solving a problem that doesn't exist," said Bob Fells, general counsel for the International Cemetery and Funeral Association. Fells said he wasn't aware of any similar plans for a mixture of a nature preserve and cemetery. But, he added, "That could be a nice idea." The Campbells said a few similar projects have been started in the country, but all have some major difference with Memorial Ecosystems. At Memorial Ecosystems, the graves are not next to the nature preserve - they are part of it. They are dug deep enough to protect the body from depredation by native wildlife, and the original surface covering is placed back on top. The Campbells realize that Memorial Ecosystems isn't for everyone. "We're not talking down other people's way of doing things," said Billy Campbell, standing by the rushing stream on an overcast Sunday morning. "But it's hard to imagine having this same kind of experience at a traditional memorial park." The no-embalming requirement creates some dilemmas. It discourages the Traditional viewing of the body. Also, unembalmed bodies must be buried within 24 to 36 hours of death, unless kept in cold storage. Some regulations also make transporting unembalmed bodies across state lines difficult, Kimberley Campbell said. Todd Caughman of Caughman-Harman Funeral Home in Lexington said his Business could handle a burial at a Memorial Ecosystems-type cemetery. "We will respect the family's wishes," he said. Caughman said requests that bodies not be embalmed are rare. He said Funeral homes offer simple wooden caskets, but most families looking for economical burials choose cremation . Memorial Ecosystems alsoallows for the scattering of ashes on the Ramsey Creek Preserve. Because of the no-embalming rule, people need to plan ahead for a Memorial Ecosystems burial. The Campbells encourage customers to hike the preserve and pick out a site. From cradle to grave. The Campbells want families, even children spooked by traditional cemeteries, to find a spot they'd like to visit again. Eileen Koelsch was one of the first buried at the preserve. Her daughter, Jeanne Ward of Seneca, said Koelsch visited the preserve after reading a story about it in a local paper. An avid gardener, Koelsch fell in love with the site and chose to be buried there. At the funeral last spring, Ward said, "Nobody left crying. You leave there feeling good. It's not a morbid place. You feel a warmth." The family of one man buried at the site dug up a boulder from his yard that used to tear up the blades of his bush hog. That stone now is his grave marker. A family doctor, Campbell has heard plenty of jokes about handling people "cradle to grave." But he doesn't mind being associated with a cemetery. He has had discussions about starting similar preserves in California. The trend toward "green" burials has been growing in Europe, said Kimberley Campbell, who grew up in Britain. The Campbells don't foresee a quick shift from contemporary graveyards to their more bucolic alternative in the United States. But they think they're in front of a wave of the future. "Changes are on the way in the funeral industry," Kimberley Campbell said. "I think it'll be different in 10 years in the same way that child birth has changed in recent years." * The funeral home industry estimates the typical cost of funeral and burial at $7,500, including about $1,000 for a vault, $400 for embalming and $1,500-$2,000 for a casket. Memorial Ecosystems, which doesn't allow embalming or vaults, estimates the lowest cost of a funeral and burial at its site at $2,300 using a cardboard casket with no special headstone. The price could double with a top-of-the-line wooden casket and an engraved stone marker. Memorial Ecosystems' estimate doesn't cover transportation of the body, which is included in the funeral home industry figure. For more information: * To reach Memorial Ecosystems, call (864) 647-7798. Extensive information on the company and "green" burials is available at its Web site, http://www.memorialecosystems.com. Telephone: 864-647-7798 Fax: 864-647-0403 Street Address: 113 Retreat Street, Westminster, SC 29693 Electronic Mail: General Information: information@memorialecosystems.com Sales: sales@memorialecosystems.com Web Site Manager: comments@memorialecosystems.com Send mail comments to: comments@memorialecosystems.com with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright (c)2000 Memorial Ecosystems, Inc Last Modified: November 15th, 2000 TOMBSTONE TRANSCRIPTION NOTES: ------------------------------ a. = age at death b. = date-of-birth d. = date-of-death h. = husband m. = married p. = parents w. = wife 14 graves in 7-2002. 20 graves in 7-2004