DECATUR, Ga. — The City of Decatur commissioners approved a proposal on Monday to redesign and redirect a multi-use path in Legacy Park away from unmarked burial sites.
WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. previously reported on the discovery made during construction on May 6. Crews struck a historical burial vault while grading near the park’s north entrance off South Columbia Drive.
“It was a brick vault about a foot deep, four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet deep,” Cara Scharer, Decatur’s Assistant City Manager of Public Works previously told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers.
The site was previously the United Methodist Children’s Home for 144 years, until the city acquired it in 2017.
The city brought in the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office in May to conduct a ground-penetrating radar scan of the area.
The burial vault that was uncovered contained glass and metal, but no human remains.
Decatur Mayor Patti Garrett said during the city commission meeting there were at least 33 unmarked graves on the land.
The proposal that was approved on Monday will set aside almost $36,000 to redirect the path and entrance driveway away from the burial sites.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Judge Hatchett ordered to pay attorney fees after dropping lawsuit against former sheriff
- See the top 25 public elementary schools in Georgia
- 47 arrested, $2.3 million in drugs seized during operation in middle Georgia
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
