The "Pollard Family Cemetery" is tucked away in an overgrown area near Peachtree City's City Hall. It probably has nine graves in it, but no one knows for sure.

At one depression in the ground, two large shovels bear witness to the fact that the graves have been plundered.

Only one marker is still in evidence, giving the site its name. Confederate veteran and Mason Elisha F. Pollard has descendants in Peachtree City, but they are not the ones who dragged plastic chairs, coolers and beer bottles to his final resting place. Pollard's marble headstone has collapsed into what "might" be his grave.

But help may be on the way. Because they are Peachtree City's only reminders of long ago, the city's graves qualify as legitimate "historical sites," says Geraldine Holt, a member of the Heritage Historic Preservation Committee.

And because so many of the cemeteries are in danger of disappearing through neglect, development, vandalism or outright thievery the city's Heritage Historic Preservation Committee is applying for grants to help save the sites, says committee member Geraldine Holt. The Pollard site will first need an archaeologist to determine how many graves there are and their locations, then extensive clearing, masonry work and landscaping, she notes.

The committee, chaired by David Piet, has applied to World Monuments Watch, on organization dedicated to preserving historically significant monuments and markers, for $25,000 to $50,000 to start the restoration process with the Pollard cemetery.

"This is Gerri's (Holt's) project," Piet says, "but we are all committed to see that the restoration gets done. I think Gerri has special skills when it comes to finding people to help, and obtaining their services for Peachtree City."

One of those whose help has been given is Kevin Kurahic of Gate City Caretakers, contract keepers of Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery. Kuharic has visited the Pollard site several times, commenting in a letter to Holt that "an urgent plan of action is the only approach for salvaging what remains of this burial ground ... the site is seriously endangered and needs immediate attention."

Kurahic continues, "As you know, only one tombstone is clearly identifiable (E.F. Pollard), and it is in sad disrepair, having toppled into the grave." He says the "intense overgrown condition" of the landscape is serious, with brambles, privet and bamboo making the cemetery hard to find. A landscaping professional, Kuharic says the site has typical 1800s cemetery plants, like vinca minor and native ferns.

His letter also recommended that archaeological work be done and an access path opened from Ga. Highway 74 to the cemetery. The preservation committee should enlist the help of neighbors and the local police to prevent further depredations at the valuable site, Kuharic said.

Sandra Woods, secretary of the committee, says there are about 23 cemeteries that need attention identified so far in Peachtree City. She is a descendant of E.F. Pollard, whom she believes to have been the brother of her great-great-grandfather, Andrew Jackson Pollard of Brooks. Within those 23 areas, an exact number of individual graves has yet to be determined, Woods adds, because the committee has functioned with mostly volunteer help and is only now seeking professional guidance and services.

"We hope to get in touch with other people whose ancestors are buried in Peachtree City," she says, "and to get their help on this project. We also want to alert hunters, hikers and real estate developers that if they run across what appears to be a burial ground, or even if they think it could be, please let us know."