Town land sought for Tabor City cemetery
Columbus County Singing Union cemetery (Deuce Niven, TLT)
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
With little space left in the Columbus County Singing Union cemetery in Tabor City, its leaders are asking town government for a gift of some land.
That may be possible, Town Manager Al Leonard told members of the Tabor City Council during a Dec. 20, 2022 meeting, if the cemetery is legally a non-profit organization.
Singing Union board member Darrick Vereen is expected to address council when it meets Jan. 10, and other board members may attend, Leonard said this week.
Board members including Donnis Graham, Barbara Dinkins, Javonna Long and Vereen signed a Dec. 19, 2022 letter asking “that the Town of Tabor City graciously donate lot numbers 098475 and 010935” to the cemetery. “This would alleviate our issue with the availability of plots, and resolve our spacing issues while allowing us to continue to serve.”
In the letter the committee talks of the cemetery’s history and its non-profit status.
“As members of the committee, we are extremely concerned that the existing site has very limited space and will reach capacity soon,” the letter said. “As a non-profit organization, the Columbus County Singing Union has served families within Tabor City and surrounding communities for years, and continued use of the cemetery is critically important to community members.”
If the land is given, the letter said, the cemetery will assume responsibility for land clearing “and ensuring that all requirements regarding a cemetery are met.”
Across the border
Located adjacent to the Club 15 Civic League building on Jarvis Street in Tabor City, the current cemetery property is located just across the South Carolina border in Horry County.
Both properties requested by the cemetery board are adjacent to the cemetery land, in Tabor City and touching the state line border.
For more on this story see this week’s Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.
