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Effingham County NAACP to Hold Wreath-Laying Ceremony at African American Cemetery
Ebenezer Cemetery marker
A granite marker under a magnolia tree marks a gravesite for 250 unnamed African Americans who drowned in Ebenezer Creek in 1865.

Henry Allen, president of the Effingham County NAACP, invites the community to the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the African American cemetery on the perimeter of the Jerusalem Lutheran Cemetery, 2887 Ebenezer Rd., Rincon, on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m.

Leroy Lloyd, president of the Effingham NAACP from 2014-2018, says the event is to remember the 250 men, women, and children buried there. There are no tombstones. The only indication of their burial is a plaque that reads: “Sacred to the memory of these African Americans whose remains rest in this place.”

Lloyd said he first became aware of this African American burial ground in 2009 when reading an article about it in The Effingham Herald. Lloyd immersed himself into a project to learn more about those buried there. A tragic event near the end of the American Civil War in 1865 at Ebenezer Creek resulted in the loss of about 100 enslaved African Americans. These African Americans followed Union soldiers to cross Ebenezer Creek to seek freedom. At the same time, Confederate troops were in pursuit of the African Americans. A temporary pontoon bridge had been constructed by the Union soldiers over Ebenezer Creek. As about 100 of the approximately 600 enslaved African Americans in the group approached the temporary bridge, the span was cut. This resulted in the death of more 100 African Americans in attempting to cross the Creek. The African Americans were not aware of the depth of the water and drowned. It is very likely that some or all of those that died in this tragedy are among the 250 African Americans buried there.

Lloyd incorporated the members of the Effingham County Branch NAACP in the effort to “Create a more fitting and attractive site for the brave souls buried there.” He received the full support of the branch members.

Lloyd is a deacon at Macedonia Baptist Church in Guyton, and also active in the Master Gardeners of Effingham County. The NAACP and the Master Gardeners of Effingham County have been working to clean up the cemetery since 2014. They have removed dead trees, tree limbs, and unwanted vegetation.

Lloyd adds that this annual ceremony is short, but complete with tradition, including prayer and traditional African music.