Tabernacle Cemetery in Smoaks Installs Metal Arch

NEW metal Arch at Tabenacle Cemetery in Smoaks, S.C.

Driving just North of the community of Smoaks in Western Colleton County, passersby will notice something new to the area. A custom wrought iron arch has been erected at the entrance of the Tabernacle cemetery, displaying the name and the established date of 1876. Public donations pay for the upkeep of this cemetery since it is operating independently, and recent fundraising efforts provided for the new metal arch.

            

Since there is no church at this cemetery site it is possible to drive right past this Lowcountry landmark, so be sure to look for the grass parking lot with a chain link fence surrounding the burial area. The new arch is 13-feet high over the swing gates and was designed to be large enough to allow for funeral company equipment to be able to access the grounds. I can report azaleas, camellias and crepe myrtles in the cemetery area, bordered by an agriculture field filled with white cotton blooms.

            

Edyce Griffin is the secretary / treasurer for the Tabernacle cemetery and she takes great care in the upkeep, especially since her late husband is buried here. “Carol Padgett of Ruffin is the President of the Tabernacle cemetery committee, and I serve with him to generate the funding we need for site maintenance,” said Griffin. “The new arch was put up just in time for the Christmas season, which is a high traffic time for all cemeteries when folks visit the graves of loved ones.”

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.