Historic black cemetery may be moved

ATLANTA, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Two descendants say they're divided over a plan to move a historic African-American cemetery from the shadow of Atlanta's international airport.

The cemetery is surrounded by a landfill for construction debris on property owned by Stephens MDS, a recycling firm, near a runway at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday.

The 311-grave cemetery was rediscovered during an expansion of the 200-acre landfill and Stephens wants to move the graves about 1 mile to Carver Memorial Gardens in Riverdale.

The move is opposed by Betty Bowden, 72, of Atlanta, who estimates she has nearly 75 relatives buried there, including her great-grandfather who started the cemetery in the 1800s.

"I saw my dad and grandfather dig many graves back there," Bowden told the newspaper.

Another descendant, Flossie Bailey, 74, wants the graves moved so she can visit the grave of her grandfather, which she said she has avoided because the cemetery is inaccessible, the Journal-Constitution said.