Lumpkin County veterans could soon have the option of being laid to rest in a military cemetery, right here in their own community. That dream could at last become a reality, thanks to a generous matching fund commitment from the Lowell S. and Betty L. Dunn Family Foundation. Last week, the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners endorsed a plan, put forward by the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Committee (LCVAC), to establish a Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
The Board reached a verbal consensus, set to be formally ratified at the next voting meeting, that the County will set aside 11.1 acres of land near Blackburn Park for two potential phases of cemetery construction.
The initial phase would see the development of five of those acres, enough to accommodate an estimated 3,000 veteran graves.
Along with approximately 3.5 acres of cemetery field space, initial concept plans also depict a parking lot, public restroom/storage building, a traditional military committal shelter, also known as an internment shelter, and a designated cremation garden.
The County has also committed to fund the clearing and grading of the site, and appeared open to utilizing T-SPLOST funds for some road and sidewalk work on the property, as well.
The announcement frees up the LCVAC to begin soliciting donations from the general public effective immediately.
“I think providing a place for the burial of our veterans would be an apex of showing our support for the veterans in Lumpkin County,” Kelley declared as the fundraising drive began in earnest.
PASSIONATE PRESENTATION
During last Tuesday’s work session agenda, Dockery invited LCVSA Chairman Stan Kelley to present the committee's vision to the Board.
Kelley told the Board that the LCVAC had been working on the proposal for the last several months, ever since his appointment to succeed retiring chairman Bill Poole.
He displayed examples of other well-known veterans’ cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetery, the nation’s only VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S.) Memorial Park in Cornelia and state-run cemeteries in both Canton and LaGrange.
“We looked at a federal option, and we don’t qualify for that. It’s got to be the state that puts in for those cemeteries, and there are a lot of restrictions with the federal government when you set up and establish a national cemetery and, really, I think it exceeds what we need in Lumpkin County,” Kelley noted.
He said a state option would likewise come with strings attached.
“It has to be registered with the Secretary of State and a minimum of 10 acres, with a minimum perpetual fund of $10,000,” Kelley explained. “We’re in agreement with a perpetual fund to keep the cemetery maintained and in proper order, but we can put that restriction on ourselves, or the County can.”
Kelley said his proposal instead focuses on a County-owned cemetery to be managed and operated by the LCVAC, which would manage the property through an appointed cemetery subcommittee. That subcommittee would oversee daily operations, process veteran applications and coordinate with local funeral homes.
The LCVAC would be responsible for funding the monuments, the permanent shelter and operational expenses for the cemetery.
Kelley said the need for a veterans’ cemetery is real.
“In Lumpkin County it’s very difficult to find a cemetery to be buried in, unless you’re a member of a church or can get buried in the City cemetery,” Kelley said, noting a plot for two costs $4,000 in the City and $4,500 in the County. He said that is an expense that many veterans and their families simply can’t afford.
“Speaking with a lot of veterans, while Canton is a very nice, well-kept, cemetery, most veterans in Lumpkin County want to be buried in Lumpkin County … We would not charge for these plots for the veterans and their spouses: they would be given at no cost,” Kelley explained.
According to the 2020 Census, Lumpkin had 1,872 veterans residing in the County, but Kelley believes the actual number is probably closer to 3,000 today.
“We have a long-standing history of military presence in Lumpkin County with the University of North Georgia Corps of Cadets one of only six military colleges in the country, plus we have the 5th Ranger Training Battallion that has been here since the late 1950’s … so we have a huge, standing military presence,” Kelley said.
PRIME LOCATION
“If you’re familiar with where the school is and the County water authority well is, it’s just beyond that spot, right off the road,” Kelley said.
He said that particular location was chosen for three reasons: it offers relatively flat terrain, water and electricity and direct access off of Blackburn Road.
“It’s a beautiful area and, if done right, that would be a fantastic spot for our Veterans Memorial Cemetery,” Kelley said.
He showed a slide with a concept by County Surveyor John Gaston.
“The shed at the bottom left-hand side—that’s the pavilion that the County now uses to put their salt for winter road treatment,” Kelley noted.
He said the site, as rendered, would accommodate about 3,000 graves.
“If everybody was married and wanted their spouses buried there as well, it would be about 1,500 veterans. That would take many years to fill. We would hope that the Board would be willing to allocate an additional acre or so, in case down the road it does fill up,” Kelley said.
“But we don’t expect that for many years, and it would be perfect to do that exactly south of what you see there,” he added.
Another 3D rendering provided a more detailed look at the proposed cemetery.
“The only thing that’s a little bit different than this picture here is the gravestones would be the flat stones the VA [Veterans Affairs] provides for the veteran, instead of headstones. That would make it easier for maintenance,” Kelley noted.
He showed a separate concept design for a traditional internment shelter where funeral services would be held, with only the family being allowed to visit the grave site.
GENEROUS SUPPORT
Dockery thanked Kelley and said he would like to invite input from the audience before the board discussed the proposal.
Kelley added that funding for the endeavor was off to a roaring start thanks to a donation of $10,000 by the Lowell S. and Betty L. Dunn Family Foundation, which he said had also committed to another $175,000 in matching funds.
“That’s a big start, and the Dunn family is here as well,” Kelley announced.
Lowell Dunn, Jr., son of the Florida real estate developers who started the foundation, took to the podium to address the Board.
“On behalf of the Lowell and Betty Dunn Family Foundation, we want to thank Stan and Bill for bringing this opportunity to us … I want to say ‘thank you’ to the veterans who gave it all, or who were willing to give it all, and step up at a time when we needed it as a country the most. So this is the least we can do to honor the veterans. And we told them originally that we would pledge $175,000, max. What we’d be willing to do is to start with $50,000 next week to start that funding. When the public and other entities meet that $50,000, we’ll put in another $50,000. And we’ll continue until it’s built. So thank you, thank the veterans, and God bless America,” Dunn said to raucous applause from the audience.
Jordan Dawson from Anderson-Underwood Funeral Home also spoke in favor of the proposal.
“Every week, we are honored to get to serve families of this community, a lot of which are veterans … It would be nice to have something local that families could go to visit, reflect and see their loved ones,” Dawson said.
Poole said he and his “Ranger buddies” were in attendance “because we want our families to be able to come visit us at a place in Lumpkin County, and not have to go down to Canton to do so.”
“We believe this is a great project, and we’re willing to support it with our own work and effort,” he added.
COMMISSIONERS REACT
Dockery expressed his enthusiasm for the concept.
“I can’t think of a more patriotic place, and I think we owe it to our veterans to give them a place for their bones to rest in peace. With that, I’ll open it up to the Board for any questions or additional comments,” he said.
“As far as a time frame, if we went ahead and set aside the land, when could we get the ball rolling from a funding aspect, or how is that going to work?” asked Vice Chairman Rhett Stringer.
“Soliciting donations will be an ongoing project. We would begin the road and site work in the September/October time frame, install the Committal Shelter by June of 2026 and we would like to be operational by September 1 of 2026. That’s our goal. I know that’s a hefty load, but I think it’s possible,” Kelley answered.
Dockery urged the Board to green-light the effort right away.
But Commissioner Tucker Greene expressed some concern about the scope.
“Is this enough? Are we going to have the space? Because if we’re at 1,872 and that’s only going to grow, how quick is this thing going to fill up … Is there enough land out there to do something twice the size of this?” Greene asked.
Commissioner Jeffrey Moran recommended offering the land right next to the road for a possible second phase expansion.
“So we could do this as phase one, and then the Board could recognize the salt shed all the way over to that driveway as future expansion, and just show that on any Master Plans for the development of Blackburn Park,” Dockery suggested.
At that point, Dunn strode back up to the podium. “If you double it, we’ll double it,” he said.
RAISING FUNDS
On Monday, The Nugget caught up with Kelley for the latest on the monumental undertaking.
Now that the LCVAC successfully collected $5,000 to repaint a display tank near Veterans Memorial Park, the LCVAC has its sights sets on a more ambitious goal: to raise $50,000 with the help of the community.
Kelley confirmed that he indeed received the second check from the Dunn Family, bringing their initial contribution to a whopping $60,000 total.
If the LCVAC can raise $50,000 in matching contributions from the community, the Dunn Family Foundation will pledge another $50,000. That matching process will continue, in $50,000 increments, until the entire project is funded.
Kelley said the County has also stepped up, increasing their verbal commitment to 11.1 acres of land.
“I think right now we’ll do the work on what we originally talked about, the 4.5 [acres], and the rest … will be future expansion. We may use part of that for a cremation spreading garden, so that would make it about five acres total,” Kelley said of the current “phase one” plan.
To help make the Lumpkin County Veterans Memorial Cemetery a reality, visit the LCVAC home page at www.lumpkincounty.gov/227/Veterans-Affairs. Donations can be made via Venmo, or by mailing donations to the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners (Attn: LCVAC).