MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The resting place for some Jefferson County residents is now part of the Rockwool Controversy.
A Mountaineer Gas pipeline being constructed to service the Rockwool plant runs near The Boyd Carter/Kearneysville Methodist Cemetery. There is now an effort to have that construction halted to make sure there are no unmarked graves in the pipeline’s path.
“Saving Boyd Carter Memorial Cemetery” advocates say burials began in the cemetery in 1904 and among the 78 interred there are several war veterans.
67th District Delegate John Doyle says inaccurate information has been given about the cemetery’s boundaries.
“I’ve talked to the people at the state historic preservation office. They were presented a map which showed the cemetery to be about one fourth the size that people who are advocating the cemetery say it is. That map was furnished by Rockwool.”
The cemetery is overgrown with weeds and has fallen into disrepair, but advocates say people still regularly visit to remember their loved ones.
“Both companies should suspend operation immediately until there is a thorough investigation by an archaeologist,” Doyle said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up asking for help with legal assistance, signage, supplies, and maintenance costs.
Construction has already begun on the Rockwool insulation plant, which is set to make basalt-based insulation products. The project has met with opposition from some community groups who are concerned with particulate emissions from the plant.
Mountaineer Gas declined to comment on the matter Wednesday.
Story by Marsha Chwalik/Panhandle News Network