UPDATE: Brunswick County Commissioners vote against gravesite removal

BELVILLE — Human bones and artifacts were discovered behind Belville elementary school. Hawkeswater Development wanted to remove the human traces and build a neighborhood. At Monday nights meeting they petitioned to create a gravesite for the shallow remains 200 feet away.

Local residents like Roberta Brady felt the human remains should stay put. “I think it’s absolutely terrible that they want to desecrate these graves that have been here for hundreds of years, I think that they should be left where they are.”

Brunswick County Commissioner Bill Sue was for the proposed removal. “No body’s been concerned about it all. Nobody knows or can even trace back who was in the grave, and the developer who was going to move those sites was going to create a much better gravesite in honor of those who were there.”

But after hearing opinions from the developers and residents the commissioners voted three-to-one against removing the bones.

For now the human remains will have to remain behind Belville elementary school.

Hawkeswater Development is not sure where to go from here, now that their petition to remove the gravesite has been denied.