A dedication ceremony for a revitalized cemetery property on Tolbert Street will be held at 11 a.m. on May 2 following a recent restoration of the cemetery that contains unmarked and marked graves.

During a Leadership Forsyth class project to provide a place of dignity to those buried at the site, as well as to restore the grounds and enhance public access, many stones were discovered that appeared to represent additional graves, according to a news release. Following ground penetrating radar technology provided by the Forsyth County Water and Sewer Department, an additional 80 formerly unidentified graves were discovered.

“Our objective with this project was to bring dignity to those buried here, but we had no idea how old the cemetery was, who was buried there or any historical information as to the cemetery and its surrounding area,” said Leadership Forsyth class member Kathy Hines.

“We became curious as we started cleaning the property and began researching deed records at the county courthouse that traced the land back to [a church] deeded in 1871, with headstones dating back to the late 1800s.”

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The restoration will provide various public amenities including a walkway through the site, maintained landscaping, benches, parking and signage with historical information on the property for those wishing to visit the cemetery, according to the release. Funding and materials for site improvements were provided by community partners and Leadership Forsyth.

The cemetery property is at 351 Tolbert St., adjacent to the Tolbert Street Recycling Center, and is owned by Forsyth County and will be maintained by county public facilities.

“The county was thrilled that Leadership Forsyth wanted to provide this restoration project for this site as well as discover the history of the property,” said County Manager Kevin Tanner. “We are honored to preserve the cemetery and honor those buried there.”

For more information on the project, visit bit.ly/3vxivk5.