Friends of Coleman-Leigh-Warren Cemetery
Objectives
First and foremost, restore the walls,
stairs, box graves, monuments and grave
ledgers to their original state using as much
of the remaining original brick and granite
as possible and where not feasible, use
new materials to match the original as
closely as possible following commonly
accepted principles of historical
preservation guidelines.
Second, develop where possible, the plot of
land designated in the Augusta-Richmond
County tax commissioner’s office as
Warren Cemetery, 0 Oakdale Road, parcel
# 013-3-93, into a place of natural beauty
and historic green space, accessible to the
National Hills Neighborhood Association and
general public for outdoor meetings or
programs and a place for personal
reflection.
Third, devise a means for maintaining the
property in perpetuity.
Project overview
(Revised Sept. 19, 2006)
Phase I
- Clean cemetery property and store
as much brick/granite as possible
for safe-keeping [COMPLETED-
ONGOING]
- Release media campaign, part 1
[COMPLETED-ONGOING]
- Build a group of reputable
individuals inside and outside
Augusta-Richmond County
community who can give moral,
legal, physical or financial help
toward the project objectives
[COMPLETED-ONGOING]
- Locate as many as possible living
Coleman, Leigh and Warren
descendants [COMPLETED-
ONGOING]
- Ceate, maintain e-mail group list
[COMPLETED & ONGOING]
- Create and maintain Web site
[COMPLETED & ONGOING]
- Create PowerPoint for local
organization presentations
[COMPLETED-ONGOING]
- Survey cemetery property, establish
the property boundaries and
produce certified plat [COMPLETED]
- Incorporate as a Georgia Domestic
Non-Profit Corporation
[COMPLETED]
- Establish a depository for financial
contributions [COMPLETED]
- Clarify descendants' legal rights to
the 1.10 acre cemeery property
[On hold pending funding]
- Perform title search to establish
integrity of legal reservation of the
property from 1887 forward
[Completed]
- File Clear Title Action in Richmond
County Superior Court [On hold
pending funding]
- Make cemetery boundaries known to
appropriate individuals and
organizations
- Secure the cemetery property
Phase II
- Consult Chicora Foundation Inc. to
determine depth and breadth of
archaeological excavation,
restoration and preservation needs
- Release media campaign, part 2
- Secure vendors’ bids with detailed
proposals for work and material
needed to restore the cemetery
property
- Create working budget for project
Phase III
- Secure funding to restore the
cemetery, develop the property and
endow a Coleman-Leigh-Warren
Cemetery Trust with sufficient funds
for perpetual care of the cemetery
- Or, in lieu of an endowment, devise
a means of generating annual
income from use of the property for
perpetual care and enhancement of
the property
- Release media campaign, part 3
Phase IV
- Engage selected vendors to carry
out restoration and preservation of
1.10 acre tract
- Release media campaign, part 4
Phase V
- Shift the focus of Friends of
Coleman-Leigh-Warren Cemetery
from that of a task force assembled
to restore and develop, to that of
trustees charged with maintaining
the property in perpetuity
- Release media campaign, part 5
- Hold re-dedication ceremony/festival
Restoration Plan
Call (770) 929-8936 or send
e-mail to arrange for an
engaging presentation.
If you or someone you know is
linked to any of the following
Augusta groups or organizations,
the presentation will take on
special significance to your
group.
Augusta, City of
Augusta Canal Authority
Fire Department
Planning Commission
Augusta, Local
Augusta Canal enthusiasts
Augusta National Golf Club
Bankers' associations
Downtown Augusta associations
Garden organizations
Historical interest groups
Lions, Kiwanis, etc.
Old Towne, Augusta
Savannah River enthusiasts
Washington Road businesses
Churches
First Baptist
First Christian
First Presbyterian
St. Paul Episcopal
Warren Baptist
Government & Law
Bar Association
Local attorney associations
County Commissioners
Neighborhoods*
Bedford
Berckmans Road area
Fruitland
Lake Olmstead area
National Hills
Vineland
Westlake
*From the 1780s-1870s, a
significant portion of West Augusta
(even extending into Columbia
County) was owned by the Colemans,
Leighs and Warrens - from the site of
the Confederate States of America
Powder works on the Augusta canal,
following the Savannah River and
Washington Rd. (sometimes on both
sides of the road) and beyond the
I-20 interchange on Washington Rd.
Schedule a Presentation
1. Groups of ten or more are
preferred, if possible, though not
required.
2. A Microsoft PowerPoint
presentation can be used as
part of the presentation if you
can provide the following:
- Laptop computer
- LDS projector
- Projection screen
Lindsay Coleman collected
subscriptions from St. Paul church
members to build the brick wall
around the St. Paul churchyard in
1820 (above and below).
The brick wall around the Coleman,
Leigh, and Warren portion of the 1.10
acre burial ground, built about the
same time as the St. Paul wall,
follows the same pattern. In fact,
many of the old brick walls from this
period, still in existence in Augusta
today, share the same style.
There are intact clusters that once
rested on top of the walls at CLW
cemetery that match exactly the
style shown above in the St. Paul
Church yard.
Guidelines for restoration and preservation have been developed from Grave
Intentions by Christine Van Voorhies Neal from the Historic Preservation Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Also, guidelines and suggestions from resources made available
through the Augusta Genealogical Society have played an important role in
maintaining the integrity of our restoration plan.
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The goal of Friends of Coleman-Leigh-Warren Cemetery is to restore the
burial property to resemble closely that of the beauty of the St. Paul
Episcopal church yard in Augusta (above).
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