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Florence National Cemetery may expand to accommodate burials

FLORENCE, S.C. — The Florence National Cemetery could soon expand more than 20 acres.

According to the Florence Morning News, both the county and city councils this month approved the initial steps of land deals allowing the cemetery to accommodate burials for an additional 20 years.

The city council approved entering negotiations to buy roughly 30 lots it plans to donate.

The cemetery is among three national cemeteries in South Carolina and was established in 1865 as the burial site for thousands of Union soldiers who died at the Florence Stockade, a Confederate prison.