Retired Hall County public safety officials restoring Bryan-Furr Cemetery

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Chad White, a local law enforcement historian, and a crew of retired public safety officials are working on a special project.

The Bryan-Furr Cemetery in Hall County is in need of some tender love and care, so the group is working to bring some new life to it.

The impetus to perform the work came after the grave of a long-ago Hall County Sheriff, Benjamin Bryan, was found in a state of extreme disrepair, according to the sheriff’s office.

Bryan died in 1881 at the age of 63, after serving as county sheriff from 1858 to 1860.

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According to the sheriff’s office, the volunteer team cleared the grounds of the cemetery in the first part of their restoration project. In Phase Two, they removed more debris and repaired the former sheriff’s headstone, in addition to others.

All told, the group said they found several family headstones on the property and that they think there could be up to 40 unmarked graves on site.

“Those will be marked with crosses during Phase Three of the Project,” HCSO said.

Among the volunteers were former Flowery Branch Police Chief Gerald Lanich and Gainesville Police Department retirees Lt. Marty Lee and Mike Huckaby.

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