Jeff Whitten, Correspondent

Bryan County Commissioners didn’t have to decide Tuesday on a controversial request by Parker’s to rezone less than an acre near historic Burnt Church Cemetery in order to build a convenience store nearby, after the developer, Drayton-Parker Companies LLC, withdrew the application.

But while the company’s withdrawal of its request appears to have at least temporarily spared the cemetery near the Highway 144 and Belfast River roundabout in South Bryan from nearby development, residents at Tuesday’s meeting raised other issues, including drainage and historic preservation.

Among those who spoke in favor of preservation was Richard Appleton, a businessman who bought the original Strathy Hall Plantation House in 2018 and has since bought and protected nearby sites, such as a slave cemetery once nearly destroyed by developers, who built two houses atop possible gravesites in the 1980s.

After outlining his efforts to protect sites, Appleton urged commissioners to do what it has to preserve the county’s past.

“What I ask of you guys today is to understand the efforts those of us in the public are making to preserve history, and if you guys can please consider doing a little more to put it into action, rather than just writing,” Appleton said.

Amy Mitchell, a real estate agent and former president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, cited the 2020 census which showed Bryan County’s rapid growth and ongoing development.

She also briefly mentioned a recently- reported federal lawsuit filed in January against the Waterways developer, Savannah Land Holdings LLC, over claims ancient relics were destroyed or unaccounted for at multiple Native- American burial sites, in violation of an agreement between the developer and the government in which the developer was required to protect such sites.

That lawsuit alleges the Corps of Engineers in 2023 was notified of “extensive” violations of the permit, first issued in 2007, and claims more than 80,000 artifacts have not been properly handled while approximately 3,000 have been lost or disposed of.

Mitchell noted the county’s most recent comprehensive plan uses the word historic 139 times, said many important sites in the county are at risk because “there is no formal process in place to evaluate, guide and protect them,” and asked commissioners to do what is necessary to create a Bryan County Historic Preservation Commission and adopt a countywide preservation ordinance.

“It is not about stopping the process, it is about shaping it in a way that protects unique places and stories that define Bryan County,” she said.

Commissioner Patrick Kitzgen said he “100 percent” supported the effort.

“It’s something where we’ve got to figure out what is the right way to do it,” he said.

Meredith Gibson, a real estate agent who ran unsuccessfully in 2024 as a write-in candidate against Commission Chairman Carter Infinger, told commissioners she had gathered 1,628 signatures opposed to the Parker’s near Burnt Church Cemetery and asked the board to be wary of future attempts to rezone the property.

Gibson then questioned county efforts to minimize flooding in South Bryan, saying she personally knew of 13 people who had been impacted by the recent heavy rains – including one woman who Gibson said was stranded in her home. Infinger and District 3 County Commissioner Jeff Nielsen told Gibson the county had talked to the woman and handled the issue.

Anna Duggar, who with her husband owns a 5-acre farm called Billy’s Botanicals off Highway 144, thanked officials for ongoing efforts to minimize flooding, but asked that the county do more to speed up relief. Duggar estimated they had pumped some 24,000 gallons from her property “per hour for the past 48 hours.

“I just want to keep it on your radar that the water management is really, really cumbersome for the residents right now, especially for some of us,” Duggar said.

Angela Rushing Thacker, who lives on Brisbon Road, said as part of recent road construction a curb was put in front of the entrance to an outbuilding she’s had since 1991, due to the way her property is listed in the tax records, and has limited her access to the building.

She was told county officials are working to find a solution.

Jeff Whitten is a freelance correspondent for the Bryan County News.