Kaleb Keskey, a scout with Troop 250 Tega Cay, led a community work day to restore a 150-year-old burial ground at the corner of Route 160 and Gold Hill Road.

The Joseph Thomas Family Cemetery had fallen into disrepair. Keskey chose the site for his Eagle Scout project after noticing its condition.

"When I saw how unmaintained the cemetery was, it made me sad," Keskey said, according to a Tega Cay Historical Society article published Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Volunteers cleared fallen debris, removed garbage, pulled out old shrubs and planted no-mow grass seed and deer-resistant native wildflower seed. Keskey said he selected low- to no-maintenance products to reduce the long-term cost and effort of caring for the site.

The project drew support from Tega Cay Mayor Heather Jones, the Tega Cay City Council, MCJROTC cadets, the Tega Cay Leos, a local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter and Troop 250 members. Residents Joe Harris, Carmen Miller, Tom Hyslip, Luther Dasher and Cindy Blais also pitched in, according to a Facebook post by Ange Keskey.

Three youth organizations helped complete the work. A historic marker produced by American Bronze Plaques was expected to arrive the week of Oct. 7, though an exact installation date has not been confirmed.

A burial ground with Civil War ties

Researcher Jim MacBride of TegaCayHistory.com has documented seven graves at the site, with the total possibly reaching eight or nine. The burials include the grave of an unidentified child of about 2 years old who died in 1855. The cemetery's namesake, Joseph Thomas, was born in 1822.

Two memorial headstones honor brothers Sylvester and Elijah Canton, who both enlisted in April 1862 and served with the 53rd North Carolina Regiment at Fort Magnum near Raleigh. MacBride wrote that by the time the regiment reached Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, only 223 soldiers remained.

Sylvester Canton died Oct. 28, 1864, in Richmond, Virginia, of typhoid pneumonia. Elijah Canton died in February 1865 as a prisoner at Elmira, New York.

MacBride described the cemetery's decline before the restoration: "The weeds grow wild, the old shade trees sag with time, and the once sturdy wooden fence falls to the ground."

Keskey is still working toward the Eagle Scout rank, according to the Tega Cay Historical Society. Any unused funds from the project will go to the Fort Mill Historic Society.

Upcoming community events

Tega Cay has three Halloween events planned for Spooktacular Week. Details are available in our Oct. 7 coverage.