Johns Creek has agreed to take over maintenance of Macedonia Cemetery, an abandoned burial ground that is historically significant as it contains the graves of former slaves and has ties to the Civil War and possible ties to the founders of the city.
The city council on July 10 voted to accept the transfer of easement rights and maintenance responsibility for the cemetery from Fulton County. The land is inside city limits on the east side of Medlock Bridge Road north of State Bridge Road.
A staff report to council said Johns Creek is better positioned to care for the site – the city recently cleaned the property and dismantled a homeless encampment there – as it can use existing crews to carry out routine maintenance. The cost to do so would be $3,600 a year from the public works maintenance account, staff said.
The cemetery was on land of the Macedonia African Methodist Church, which no longer exists. Its current ownership is unclear. Fulton acquired maintenance easement rights to the property in 1998.
“A variety of factors, including the property’s location, have made upkeep challenging,” Liz Hausmann, county vice chairman and District 1 commissioner, said in a December 2016 letter to Johns Creek proposing that the city take over maintenance of the graveyard.
