What To Do With Dead Bodies
At Lori O’Leary’s request, I am continuing my Charleston series this week with another day at the office for MTM. For newer readers, MTM is an employee of the City of Charleston, the Director of the Charleston Civic Design Center. His office focuses on large urban planning projects in peninsular Charleston.
Or, they try to.
Anyway.
Several years ago, he came up with a master plan for a city block downtown. A municipal auditorium from the 1960′s sat there, along with a parking garage, a hideous county building and MTM’s historic building. The block was part of 1960′s urban renewal, where slums were torn down to make way for grander structures.
The old Gaillard was much maligned. Not enough bathrooms. Deplorable acoustics. If I ever got a seat in the center of a row, I was doomed to wet my pants. Between stumbling over twenty people to get to an exit, only to find fifty women waiting for the five available toilets, it was always a ‘drink absolutely nothing all day’ kind of outing. When they pulled the grand bronze city seals and signs off the old building prior to partial demolition, they found that they were, in fact, made of plastic.
While many people, especially architect people, are not fans of the building that’s replacing the old Gaillard, at least its signs won’t be made of plastic. And, it will have acoustics that rival venues like the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville. And, it will have enough potties for everyone. And, it will have glorious aisles instead of long, unbroken rows.
And, MTM had a lot to do with making it all happen.
I guess that’s why he was appalled when construction halted almost two weeks ago. Workmen swarmed around a hole at the corner of the site. They uncovered bones: jawbone, teeth, femur. When they called the coroner, he confirmed that, yes, they were human. The next day, they found another set.
Archeologists were summoned, and they have identified twenty-seven grave sites thus far. Preliminary testing dates the bones to 1720. Pre-United States. When Charleston was still Charles Towne, a British settlement named to honor King Charles II. Given that the Charleston peninsula wasn’t settled until 1680, these are early folks indeed. The site was outside of the city walls in 1720. No one knows when this cemetery vanished, who these bones were.
I know. I know. This does not rival finding King Richard III under a parking lot, but still. I wonder what brought the people of the bones here. Before I write a series to put my own spin on it, what do you think, Dear Reader?
A Charleston series. The first post in the series is here, the second post is here, the third post is here, the fourth post is here, the fifth post is here, the sixth post is here, the seventh post is here and the eighth post is here. Thank you for reading.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- How to Kill a Body Dead | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- Waiting To Be Laid Low | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- I Got a Boner | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- I’m Late For a Very Important Date | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- O Death, Where Is Thy Sting? | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- The Valley of Dry Bones | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- A Breath of Charleston Spring | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
- Magnolia Cemetery Is THE Place to be Dead | The Accidental Cootchie Mama
Early bikers run over by carriages.
Thank you for my holiday laugh, Lou. Happy President’s Day.
Maybe they could have been victims of a viral outbreak-like the plague, buried outside the walls to prevent the spread?
I wonder. I thought about that one. That would’ve been a hike from the walls along Market Creek in those days.
Oh, fabulous, fabulous! (Sorry, that is a bit rude of me to be hearlding the dead…) Perhaps it was a satanic cult that was brought down by the townfolk and they buried them so their evil, wicked ways (in their eyes) would not darken the City again. I’m sorry that they halted construction, but what a fascinating find! Yay! (Oops, there I go again!) I can hardly wait until you write your rendition of their lives and deaths.
It will be hard to live up to some of these postulations, Lori, especially the satirical ones. I love to read satire, but it is dang HARD to write.
I wonder if there were satanic cults in Charleston in 1720? Maybe their offspring go on cruises and take carriage rides.
Slaves? Papists? Native Americans?
They have discounted slaves and Native Americans, Robert, because of the way they were buried – in rows facing east. They believe them to be early settlers at this point.
While Catholics might have been considered papists in Charles Towne in 1720, the city quickly became diverse in worship because it was such an active port. We now have a substantial population of Irish descent and are thus a seat of a diocese for the Catholic church. We also have a remarkable French Huguenot church, and Carnell’s Unitarian Church is one of the most beautiful old church interiors in America.
I’m SO glad you expanded on that – I wanted to know more, and holy GOD what ethnicity were these people? Are the archaeologists sure they haven’t stumbled upon a Native American burial ground? How fascinating. No, it ain’t KRIII, but WOW it’s cool.
See comment to Robert above. Prior to English settlement, there was evidence of Native American usage of White Point Gardens, which is at the Battery at the tip of Charleston’s peninsula. Our King Street follows the old Native American trail that went up the spine of the peninsula to the interior. However, there was no active Native American settlement on the peninsula. The way the graves are oriented is also not in keeping with how native peoples buried their dead.
(Anyone who knows more about this can chime in. While I have spent some time studying the habits of native populations in America, the Charleston area has not been part of that research.)
They died waiting in line to get on a cruise ship!
Oh, and I never had any problem with the restroom situation at the Gaillard. Plenty of urinals. But yes, it is a gawd-awful ugly building. I actually remember when they built it – and it was ugly then. Age has not improved it.
And what a cruise ship it must’ve been in those days. *Shudder* I truly don’t know how anyone went anywhere back then.
Did you know they had to take the brick off the old Gaillard because it was never anchored properly? That’s why there was so much more demolition. It would cost more to fix that problem that it would to just take the brick off.
great post in very thorough on the history of Charleston I love that you included the Crisp map.
I wish I had an earlier one. This one is not of the period, but it was the earliest one MTM had access to from home last night.
Clive and Sue are wanting to stage a humerus thriller and want you to pen the script. Given your furtive mind this could be the basis of a shuddering tale of ghastly secrets set in the early years of the province of Charles Towne, USA. The characters could be all who you know who watch your BLOGS with interest; it may even hit Hollywood!! Think of it??
My hands are shaking, Alan, at the thought of Clive and Sue wanting me to write anything for them. They are both so witty and talented. They would surely chortle at my effort.
But. They could certainly adapt my story. MTM and I would definitely come over to see it. We had great fun at the pantomime.
As an aside, John and Janet Dewis are staying with us for a weekend in April. When are you and Margaret coming over? We owe you a visit to us, and we’d love to host you.
We will make it someday; we really want to visit and see what you have described over in Charleston. Sue thinks you will pen a supper comedy; give it a try??
Read today’s post, Alan. Our dear friend Clive is a character, although I am not sure how he will feel about his role in the story as it unfolds………
From the sound of it you should have enough bones to write a humerus thriller. It certainly won’t be ‘armless.
Hahaha. And, since Clive is Cockney, that fits both ways.
I’m suggesting these are the unfortunate remains of a Creek or Cherokee tangle with black market deer skin traders that went wrong!
And, they had a war over it, a mile from my present house? Hmmmmm, could be, Debra.
I’m always mystified by these discoveries… perhaps they were just sad souls who couldn’t get out of their row after a performance and gradually sank into the earth…
This answer made me laugh out loud.
I downloaded your new collaboration. I’m hoping to read it today.
Democracy in death, say I. Sod Charles, he ended up as clay just like the rest of humanity. Let’s hear some of the stories of the bones. Tell their stories for them: and who knows, they could become superstars in their own right one day.
Funny that we both feature old maps today, Kate. I had a chuckle when I saw that this morning. Still have to come back to comment.
Eeek! I ment, Sod Richard (III)….long. long day today….
They both ended up the same, in the end.
Charleston had commenced removing fortifications to allow for expansion in 1717; so, that 1720 date is “off” by just a tad, and these are undoubtedly sad victims of those pirate scoundrels Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet. See: http://www.scottishritecalifornia.org/charleston_time_line.htm
I love a good pirate tale!
I thought about pirates, Karen. We certainly do have enough of that history around here.
Ooh, an interesting find, Andra… and not too long after the time I find myself inexplicably drawn to… I hope you can find out more. Look forward to reading your take on things as well…
If I find out anything else, I’ll work it into the series somehow.
They only moved the headstones!
If I were a paranormal writer, I’d say wake them up and ask them.
Aargh, matey . . . pirates be my guess ~ Ann Bonney buried her scallywags thar.
Pirates are a favorite today, Nancy.
Such a fascinating discovery. I’m thinking perhaps these are the remains of Native Americans or earlier explorers? Can’t wait to see what you write!
It certainly wasn’t expected, Penny.
Even before you reached that line, I was thinking of Richard III
Human settlement over and over in the same place will have to give rise to us discovering those who went before
Thank goodness MTM had experience with you of the problems of the old place.
I remember reading/hearing somewhere that New York was requiring twice as many female loos as male in new public buildings. What a great idea.
It is a sobering reminder of the fleeting nature of life.
All I can think is the work that has to go into the gathering of the bones! As a student of anthropology, I never could stand the tedium of excavation labs – hours of sifting with a mesh screen to find an ancient grain! Looking forward to letting you do the work on this discovery, Andra ~
I’m not sure what they’re going to do with them at this point. They will probably reinter them somewhere else.
Is The Pirate House still a tourist thing in Charlestown. The last time I was there, about 20 years ago, there was a small house with red doors where Blackbeard supposedly hung out and buried treasure in the floor?
also, I’m enjoying these interesting posts.
My wife and I are discussing a trip to either savannah or charleston in a few months.
I don’t know if it’s still open to the public, but here is a link. http://fitzhughwilliams.org/website/piratehouse/piratehouse.html
Please let me know if you decide to come to Charleston. I can give you lots and lots and lots of things to do, and we’d love to meet you.
Wow, that really is a fascinating discovery. I know very little of your local history (my early American ancestors went no further south than Jamestown, VA), but it’ll be fun to see what you make of it!
I suspect Charles Towne and Jamestown weren’t so different, once upon a time.