Tombstones stolen from historic cemetery

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Old Smyrna Cemetery

HIAWASSEE, Ga.- Headstones from the historic Old Smyrna Cemetery were discovered missing last week, reported by Steve Eller, a caretaker of the gravesites and the offspring of ancestors who were laid to rest at the remote location between Upper Hightower and Charlie’s Creek over a century ago. The gravestones are thought to have been stolen during the past five weeks, between early-February and March 7, 2020.

J.B. Goddard's headstone

J.B. Goddard’s headstone

“A family member went up there Saturday and found out that the J.B. Goddard tombstone was missing, and of course, you probably all know that J.B. Goddard was murdered by the Justice man and hung on the square here in Hiawassee,” Eller said on March 9. “But his was missing, and also was my great-grandfather’s nephew, Homer Wellborn, tombstone is missing.”

Goddard, an elderly lawyer born in 1818, was the victim of moonshiner Tilman Justice who believed that Goddard was on the brink of turning his illicit spirit operation over to revenuers in 1887. Justice was later convicted and hung in Towns County for Goddard’s murder, the only hanging in the county’s history. According to local historian Jerry Taylor, Justice was hung somewhere along River Street in Hiawassee, the precise location unknown.

Eller told FYN that Jeep clubs – with many of the vehicles bearing South Carolina license plates – were witnessed in the area of the Old Smyrna Cemetery at the time that the gravestones were thought to have been stolen.

“I talked to the Towns County sheriff and you know, we reported it and all that kind of stuff, but probably not much chance on getting anything on that, as far as that goes, because it would be so hard to find but we do have it on Facebook and pictures of the Goddard tombstone on Facebook so if anybody was to see it maybe they could realize it was stolen and maybe give it back,” Eller said.

Homer Wellborn

Homer Wellborn’s headstone

Eller launched an online fundraiser in February for “clean up, repair and maintenance of cemetery, entrance road. and memorials” at the burial site. “The property around this cemetery was sold to the Forest Service in 1933,” Eller explained. “My great grandfather (Hardy Washington Eller) lived in this area around Charlie’s Creek/Upper Hightower Community of Towns County. His home and land was referred to as ‘The Hard Eller Place.’ This cemetery has been neglected for years and needs some TLC.”

Click to view or support the Old Smyrna Cemetery fundraiser

Eller asked for anyone with information on the stolen cemetery headstones to contact the Towns County Sheriff’s Office at 706-896-4444.

Featured Image: A portion of Old Smyrna Cemetery

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