The oldest continually operating business in Florence, SC, is Mount Hope Cemetery. Since its inception in 1880, this perpetual care cemetery has become the final resting place for more than 13,000 people with ample space for at least that many more burials. Beneath the beautiful moss draped oaks you will find the graves of numerous Confederate soldiers as well as the unknown Confederate soldiers, three of which have recently been identified and memorialized. Also, there are Congressmen, mayors, the first Miss South Carolina and the First Miss Florence, the organizer of one of the biggest nation labor unions today and Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent credited with shooting John Dillinger who was Public Enemy Number One. What a history lesson! In this beautifully maintained cemetery you will also find a state of the art Chapel Mausoleum available for those who wish to be entombed. There are various choices as well at Mt. Hope for those people who plan to be cremated. Visit us online at www.mthopeflorence.com or call us at 843-662-5145.