Concerns about historic south side cemetery upkeep
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — A woman said that she has not been able to visit the graves of her parents in a historic Black cemetery because the only road to get there has been inaccessible.
Linda McKee's parents are buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in the Coffee Bluff neighborhood.
Last week she and her family could not drive down the approximate mile of dirt road to get inside, not allowing her to visit her father's grave on what would have been his 105th birthday.
Since before Hurricane Helene, McKee told News 3 often times the sole road that leads from Coffee Bluff Road to the inside of the private cemetery is obstructed.
'There were large trees in the road,' said McKee. 'Trees had overgrown, brush had overgrown, which made it truly unacceptable and inaccessible.'
The anniversary of her father's birthday on Feb. 5 was her last straw.
'I love my parents, especially my father, and that's what's really got me fired up, my dear daddy, God bless his soul,' said McKee. 'We weren't able to get to him. I cried that night because I couldn't get back here to him. I felt like I had failed him in some way.'
After months trying to figure out who to contact to clear the road, she finally contacted Alderman Kurtis Purtee last week, and Monday, Feb. 10, the road was clear.
'I appreciate Mr. Purtee doing some things, or the city, or whoever moved so fast to move those trees out of the road,' said McKee.
Purtee told News 3 the City of Savannah is responsible for half of the road, and the other is private property, owned by Mt. Hermon Baptist Church who also runs the cemetery.
Purtee said he is working with cemetery owners to make sure the road and the inside of the cemetery remain clean, and that he will visit the cemetery again Tuesday.
'I've gotten with city staff, and there are things the city can do as we work with owners to have that taken care of, and I was assured that it would be,' Purtee told News 3.
To ensure the road stays clear, McKee said she is trying to form a committee of people in the community or those who own plots to help oversee cleanup and maintenance efforts especially when it comes to the road.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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