Ramsey Creek opened in 1996 and is usually credited as the first modern conservation burial ground in the country, founded by physician Billy Campbell and Kimberley Campbell through their company Memorial Ecosystems. The preserve covers roughly 33 acres of woodland and creek bottom where the Southern Appalachians meet the Piedmont, about an hour south of Greenville and an hour and a half north of Atlanta. Graves are dug by hand, markers are local stone set flat, and the Cross Roads Chapel with its trail network serves visitors between services.
Worth a look for anyone who values the original model and staff who have handled natural burials for nearly thirty years; the same company consults for communities building preserves of their own. Less convincing if institutional permanence is your first test, since the ground is privately held rather than vested in a land trust. Current prices and available sections are best confirmed by phone.
Address: Westminster, SC, 390 Cobb Bridge Road
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