Chester community advocate wants more for abandoned African American cemetery

CHESTER, S.C. (WBTV) - A Chester County man is asking for help with the maintenance of a historic African American cemetery located near downtown Chester and near the Evergreen Cemetery.

For nearly two years John Massey says he’s been working to make sure graves at the Mount Hebron Cemetery, near downtown Chester, are honored since he discovered this area in 2012.

Massey was born and raised in Chester, South Carolina.

“Every grave, every grave has a story,” Massey said.

He first came to the area, near the Evergreen Cemetery, looking for his aunt who died at 16-years-old.

Eventually he came across Mount Hebron Cemetery. It’s an African American cemetery that he says has graves dating back to the mid 1800s.

“These people were so disrespected in life, you don’t want them to be even more