Rewilding Death in the Appalachian Mountains

Rewilding Death in the Appalachian Mountains

In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a quiet revolution in end-of-life practices is underway. At Ramsey Creek Preserve near Westminster, South Carolina, the deceased do not rest under rows of cold marble, but beneath meadows and oaks, their presence woven into the natural world.  The first body Billy Campbell buried on his land was the stillborn child of friends. Then a colleague who died suddenly in a car accident “solidified the righ…