The Garden of Memories

Highway 76 and 178

Post Office Box 236

Belton, South Carolina 29627

Telephone (864) 338-1099

Condensed Version of the Policies of

The Garden of Memories, Inc.

The following selections were taken from The Rules and Regulations of the Garden of Memories, Inc., established in 1954 and revised in 1988. A complete list of policies is available upon request. It is our hope that this condensed version of our policies will help you, our patrons, to better understand the reasoning behind the regulations of perpetual care cemeteries. It is our desire to provide you with the best of care, while protecting ourselves from possible damage of equipment or injury to our personnel. Thank you.

The following is a condensation of Section 6 (Lots):

Lots are sold either for immediate use or for expected use in the future. When lots are purchased for immediate need, full payment must be made before the grave may be opened, this shall include the price of the lot and fees for opening and closing the grave. In the case of purchase for future use, monthly payment plans may be devised. However, should the purchaser “fall behind” in payments, the Cemetery may opt to cancel said contract and to enter into a new contract with future potential owners over the lot in question.

The following is a condensation of Section 7 (Interments and Disinterments):

Interment charges on both immediate need and future need lots are due at the time of burial. Before a grave may be opened, twenty-four hours notice must be given to the Cemetery; for a disinterment, seven days notice must be given.

In the event that the precise location of a burial space inside of a lot cannot be determined, it is the prerogative of the Superintendent of the Cemetery to determine where a grave will be opened, so that funeral plans shall not be delayed. The Cemetery is not liable for any changes so made.

Should improper, incorrect, or imprecise information be given to the Cemetery for purposes of opening a grave, the Cemetery shall not be responsible for the consequences. However, if such a mistake is the fault of the Cemetery, the Cemetery shall have a sufficient amount of time to correct the error.

In all cases, a vault or other permanent grave liner is required.

The following is taken directly from Section 9 (Service Charge and Delinquent Accounts):

9-a.  The charges for Garden service must be paid or provided for prior to any interment, disinterment, or removal.

9-b.  Payment or satisfactory arrangements covering any delinquent indebtedness, due to the Corporation, must be made before interment will be permitted.

The following is taken directly from Section 10 (Property Rights of Lot Owners):

10-a.  PROPERTY RIGHTS:  All rights, title and interest conveyed in any lot, plot, or burial space is, and at all times shall be, limited to a right on interment of human remains only which is subject at all times to the rules and regulations and by-laws of the Corporation, on file at its office, now existing and/or which may be by it hereafter adopted either by amendment or alteration, all of which are conditions, reservations and restrictions, and are binding on the Lot Owner, his heirs, devises, executors, administrators and assigns.

10-b.  JOINT CONVEYANCES:  In all conveyances to two or more persons, each Lot Owner shall have a vested right of interment of his or her remains in the plot so conveyed. Upon the death of a Lot Owner, the interest in the lot shall immediately vest in the survivor or survivors, subject to the vested right of interment for the remains of the deceased Lot Owner.

(1)  An affidavit by any competent person setting forth the fact of the death of one Lot Owner and establishing the identity of the survivor named in the Certificate of Ownership when filed with the Corporations, shall be its complete authority to permit the use of the unoccupied portion of such plot in accordance with the directions of the survivor or his successors in interest.

10-c.  INALIENABLE BY DEATH OF OWNER:  Whenever an interment of a member of the family of the record owner, or of a member of the family of the record owner, or of a relative of a member of said family, or of the remains of the record owner, is made in a burial plot and said owner dies without making disposition of such burial plot in his will by a specific devise thereof, or by a written declaration filed and recorded in the office of the Corporation, such burial plot thereby becomes inalienable and shall be held as the family burial plot of the owner.

(1)  In said family burial plot one grave may be used for the owner’s interment, one for the surviving spouse, if any, the parents and children of said deceased owner in order of need, may be interred without the consent of any person claiming interest therein.

(2)  In the event there shall be no parent or child surviving such deceased person, the right of interment shall go in the order of need; first, to the spouse of any child of said record owner, and second, in order of need to the next heirs at law of said owner as specified by the statutes of descent, or the spouse of any such heir at law.

The following is a condensation of Section 11 (Transfer or Assignments):

Normally, lots may be transferred from one record owner to another. However, the Cemetery may refuse to consent to a transfer if there is debt involved with the lot in question. Also, all lot transfers shall be subject to a reasonable charge.

The following is a condensation of Section 12 (Control of Work By Corporation):

Lot owners must not, in any way, improve the appearance of burial lots; this includes the planting of grass or trees or shrubs, as this destroys the uniform appearance of the Cemetery. Any violations may be removed or otherwise terminated at the discretion of Cemetery personnel.

The following is a condensation of Section 13 (Flowers and Floral Arrangements):

Graves with markers are limited to one flower arrangements per grave, the arrangements must be placed in a vase fitted to the specific marker. If no marker is present, one flower also may be used, but it must not be anchored in any way. Absolutely no holes may be dug in the ground.

Absolutely no vases (other than those commercially attached to markers), shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, chairs, settees, glass, crockery, wood or iron cases, and all other similar articles may be placed in the Cemetery. There use may be hazardous to lawnmowers or to cemetery personnel. Any violations will be removed and the Cemetery shall not in any way be responsible for their damage. However, during holiday seasons such as Christmas, Easter, or Memorial Day, pot plants or other decorations such as flags, may be used. One additional decoration only may be used per marker; it is crucial that this not be of the nature that could potentially damage a lawn mower or cause injury to cemetery personnel. When additional decorations are permitted, they must be removed within ten days following the holiday at hand.

THE GARDEN OF MEMORIES SHALL, IN NO WAY WHATSOEVER, BY RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR STOLEN FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS AND/OR OTHER SEASONAL MATERIALS.

The following is a condensation of Section 14 (Grounds Maintenance):

Following an interment, flowers and other decorations will be removed by Cemetery personnel after a suitable amount of time has passed. If certain flowers are desired by the Lot Owner, they should either by removed or a written request should be submitted to the Cemetery management within forty-eight hours of interment, if the latter option is taken, flowers will be held for a maximum of twenty days; after twenty days they will be destroyed.

The following is a condensation of Section 18 (Protection Against Loss):

The Cemetery will take all reasonable precautions to protect lots and markers within the Cemetery, however, the Cemetery is not responsible for damage due to acts of God, accidents, or vandalism.

The following is taken directly from Section 19 (Change of Address of Lot Owners):

19-a.  It shall be the duty of the Lot Owner to notify the Corporation of any change in his post office address. Notice sent to a lot owner at the last address on file in the office of the Secretary of the Corporation shall be considered sufficient and proper legal notification.

The following is a condensation of Section 20 (Memorials, Installation and Foundations):

Each Lot Owner, who desires a marker on his lot, must use a marker which meets the specific guidelines of the Cemetery. For mowing purposes, markers are limited to flat bronze tablets, set flush with the turf. Markers meeting these specifications are available for purchase through the Cemetery. However, if one so desires, markers from outside sources may be purchased and installed in the Cemetery. In either case, a reasonable fee for installation and upkeep will be levied by the Cemetery. THE GARDEN OF MEMORIES DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MARKERS PURCHASED FROM A SOURCE OTHER THAN ITSELF, THIS SHALL INCLUDE BOTH THE ORIGINAL CONDITION OF THE MARKER (SPELLING OF NAMES, ETC.) AND THE GENERAL BREAKDOWN OF THE MARKER OVER TIME. However, these markers, as well as ones purchased through the Cemetery, will be given the utmost in care and attention and the Cemetery does accept responsibility for damage to them caused by the Cemetery, but not by acts of God, accidents, or vandalism.

Before any marker may be installed, the lot, on which it is to go, must first be paid for in full and the fee for installation must also be paid; this fee is based on the square inch size of the total area. It is also required that the permission of the Lot Owner be granted before a marker may be installed.

The following is a condensation of Section 22 (Modifications and Amendments):

It must be borne in mind at all times, that, in special situations and under certain circumstances, the Corporation reserves the right to suspend, amend, or modify any of the regulations imposed by it. However, these exceptions occur only on a very limited basis and in extremely difficult cases.

The following is a condensation of Section 23 (Conduct of Persons Within the Gardens):

It is the nature of a cemetery to be a solemn and peaceful place, therefore disruptive and disrespectful behavior will not be permitted to pass unnoticed; this shall include both the use of profanity and the display of public intoxication. To preserve the peaceful nature of the Cemetery, such cases will be referred to the police.

Thank You.