‘The perfect choice’: Why York County could win a six-county bid for veteran cemetery
York County is on board with plans for a new veteran cemetery, in what may be the perfect place for it.
York County Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night in support of the project. York County is one of six across South Carolina in contention for a new location funded and selected through state and federal veteran associations.
“I’m confident that they’ll see the value in York County,” said Melinda Woodhurst, county veterans affairs director.
Woodhurst got a call in July to see if York County could submit a potential location. She had 45 days to find a 60-acre site. Several potential locations fell through, she said. Minutes before she had a meeting to concede there were no options, another potential donor texted her.
Thomas and Giovanna Purcell have 105 acres in Sharon. They’d seen an online post in search of a cemetery location. Thomas is retired Army, having flown during wars in Vietnam and Korea. The Purcells offered up to 65 acres of their property at 5444 Bonner Horton Road, near the S.C. 49 and U.S. 322 intersection.
Woodhurst has been working since on an application due Oct. 14. She expects a decision on which site will get the cemetery by February.
“York County is not only the obvious choice for a veteran cemetery,” Woodhurst said. “It is the perfect choice.”
York County has about 28,000 veterans. The South Carolina counties that border it add about 14,000 more. Neighboring Gaston County in North Carolina has almost 14,000 veterans. Mecklenburg County adds more than 51,000 veterans.
Combined, York and its neighboring counties have more than 100,000 veterans.
“When you add the veteran population who could benefit from having one locally in York County, the numbers are striking,” Woodhurst said.
South Carolina has a state veteran cemetery in Anderson County. There are three national cemeteries at Fort Jackson, Florence and Beaufort.
There are six proposed locations for the new cemetery. Cherokee and Union counties each have a candidate. So do neighboring Bamburg, Orangeburg and Dorchester in the lower part of the state.
Statewide there are about 400,000 veterans. York County has more veterans than the other five potential site counties combined.
The 28,000 York County veterans combine for about $180 million in federal compensation to the area, Woodhurst said.
“They buy their homes, their kids go to school, and they spend their money in York County,” she said.
Woodhurst also points to future York County residents. York is one of the fastest growing counties in both Carolinas. There already is a veterans community outpatient clinic here, and more to come.
“We are already funded at the federal level to have a new clinic built, twice its size, which is an indication of the growing population in York County,” Woodhurst said.
York County also has the York County Veterans Memorial Park that opened in 2018. That site in York is joined by other military or veteran sites like Veterans Park in Fort Mill.
With no cost to the county for a cemetery, council members were unanimous Monday in their project support.
“This is going to be one of those landmark features that we still have here in York County,” said Councilman William “Bump” Roddey.
Council thanked the family who donated land that’s been in that family more than 100 years. Also, council thanked the people who could most benefit from a veteran cemetery.
“This is an absolute honor to have something like this in our county,” said Councilman Tom Audette. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to honor our military and our veterans.”
