Gin Branch Cemetery was founded in 1735. Most of the oldest graves had wooden markers which have long since disappeared. I have been told that what is now contained inside of the fence is only about half of the original cemetery area, which means there are probably many graves we will never be able to identify.
Another interesting fact is that this cemetery is only several yards away from what was once known as the "Ninety-Six Trail", so called because it was the main thoroughfare for traveling from Charleston to the town of Ninety-Six, SC. That means that many travelers obviously passed right by this cemetery on a frequent basis.
The original cemetery was not fenced, and all of the land around it was used for agriculture. Through the years as the old cemetery became less frequently used, cows were allowed to wander through the cemetery and are largely responsible for most of the broken stones at Gin Branch.
In the 1960's, the landowners finally decided to erect a fence (chain-link across the front with an entrance gate, and hogwire on the sides and rear) to keep the cows out and try to preserve what was left of the old cemetery. But as the various cemetery "caretakers" got older and passed away, even the area inside the fence became terribly overgrown and unrecognizable. I only discovered the cemetery myself in 2000 after joining the SCV and while searching for one of my Confederate Veteran ancestor's gravesite.
The best news is that the current landowner has demonstrated a renewed interest in keeping the cemetery in a preserved condition, and has even graciously volunteered to replace the hogwire sides and rear fences with new chain-link to match the front fence.
