Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Cecil Young and I are back for the final chapter in our journey to document every known (and forgotten) cemetery in Sumter County, Georgia. This episode wraps up a single-day adventure that started at dawn and stretched into the night—fighting through thick woods, wrong GPS pins, and locked gates to preserve what history we can.
We begin by trying to locate several elusive cemeteries, some of which are completely inaccessible today. Along the way, we visit the “Founders Cemetery”—one of the oldest burial grounds in the county. It holds the grave of Sumter County’s very first sheriff, John Kimmey, who was murdered by a political rival and former military associate over an election dispute. That man is buried just a few feet away.
We also stop at cemeteries tied to long-lost ghost towns—where all that remains are the graves. We discover forgotten headstones in the woods and reflect on how many of these places will vanish if we don’t document them now.
From the story of a sheriff gunned down in the 1830s to undocumented African American burial grounds and plantation cemeteries, this video shows the real work behind historical preservation.
This is part of the Adventures Into History documentary mission—recording the sites others overlook and telling the stories others forget.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This channel is viewer-supported. I'm the host of Adventures Into History and president of HCx Preservation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. I work full-time documenting endangered history, preserving headstones, and protecting burial sites across Georgia—with no salary. If you believe in this mission, please consider supporting:
Tip Jar: paypal.me/rwrightphotography
More Adventures: https://linktr.ee/adventuresintohistory
Flashlight I Use: olightstore.com/s/UPTJSG (10% off w/ code SAIH10)
Mailing Address:
Sidestep Adventures
PO BOX 206
Waverly Hall, Georgia 31831
Together, we can keep history from being erased.
Cecil Young and I are back for the final chapter in our journey to document every known (and forgotten) cemetery in Sumter County, Georgia. This episode wraps up a single-day adventure that started at dawn and stretched into the night—fighting through thick woods, wrong GPS pins, and locked gates to preserve what history we can.
We begin by trying to locate several elusive cemeteries, some of which are completely inaccessible today. Along the way, we visit the “Founders Cemetery”—one of the oldest burial grounds in the county. It holds the grave of Sumter County’s very first sheriff, John Kimmey, who was murdered by a political rival and former military associate over an election dispute. That man is buried just a few feet away.
We also stop at cemeteries tied to long-lost ghost towns—where all that remains are the graves. We discover forgotten headstones in the woods and reflect on how many of these places will vanish if we don’t document them now.
From the story of a sheriff gunned down in the 1830s to undocumented African American burial grounds and plantation cemeteries, this video shows the real work behind historical preservation.
This is part of the Adventures Into History documentary mission—recording the sites others overlook and telling the stories others forget.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
This channel is viewer-supported. I'm the host of Adventures Into History and president of HCx Preservation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. I work full-time documenting endangered history, preserving headstones, and protecting burial sites across Georgia—with no salary. If you believe in this mission, please consider supporting:
Tip Jar: paypal.me/rwrightphotography
More Adventures: https://linktr.ee/adventuresintohistory
Flashlight I Use: olightstore.com/s/UPTJSG (10% off w/ code SAIH10)
Mailing Address:
Sidestep Adventures
PO BOX 206
Waverly Hall, Georgia 31831
Together, we can keep history from being erased.
