South Carolina tourists find remains that may be linked to 'forgotten' burial site

USA Today

30-05-2025

South Carolina tourists find remains that may be linked to 'forgotten' burial site
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Tourists exploring an island off the South Carolina coast accidentally uncovered human skeletal remains that authorities believe may be linked to a forgotten, centuries-old burial site.
The tourists were in Jeremy Cay — a private, beachfront community located on Edisto Island about 45 miles southwest of Charleston — on May 23 when they discovered what they initially believed to be fossils, according to the Colleton County Sheriff's Office. But after realizing the remains appeared to be human, the tourists immediately contacted the sheriff's office and the Edisto Beach Police Department, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities then responded to the scene and secured the area. The Colleton County Coroner's Office also assisted in the investigation and recovery of the remains, which were later transported to the Medical University of South Carolina for forensic analysis and identification, according to the sheriff's office.
"The location of the discovery is historically significant, once home to the 19th-century settlement known as Edingsville Beach," the sheriff's office said in a news release. "Early indications suggest the remains may originate from a long forgotten burial site."
The sheriff's office noted that the identity of the remains and the circumstances surrounding their death are currently unknown. The investigation remains ongoing, and the sheriff's office said it's working with the county coroner's office and other partner agencies to learn more about the remains and their origin.
Colleton County Coroner Richard Harvey told Newsweek on May 25 that the remains consisted of a skull and separated bones. Harvey noted that the discovery was "rare" and that the remains could be from the Revolutionary War or Civil War, according to Newsweek.
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What is Edingsville Beach?
The Jeremy Cay community is near the site of Edingsville Beach, a former vacation destination that was popular among wealthy Southern families in the early 19th century, according to an article on the town of Edisto Island's website.
"It was initially established for wealthy Charleston families as a seasonal refuge to escape the humidity and heat in the Lowcountry," the article states. "For a few decades, Edingsville Beach was the place for the elite to be seen."
In 1825, the community was made up of 60 tabby and brick houses with verandas facing the ocean, according to the article. Edingsville Beach also had several churches, service buildings, boathouses, fishing shacks, a billiard saloon, and a schoolhouse.
The settlement began to disappear over the decades due to coastal erosion and the effects of the Civil War, the article adds.
"Visitors started to notice the shifting sands and ever-lapping tides took a toll on the beach," according to the article. "In addition, the Atlantic surf had managed to scoop up about 20 of the homes before the Civil War began."
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The community was uninhabited during the Civil War and mostly abandoned after the war ended in 1865, the article states. Edisto Island was hit by a hurricane in 1885, which leveled most of the remaining structures in the settlement.
By 1893, another hurricane destroyed the last of the structures in Edingsville Beach, according to the article. Now, only a narrow strip of beach serves as a reminder of the historic community.
Bones and remains have previously been found on the island, the article states. In 2015, a tourist from Pennsylvania visiting the north end of Edisto Island found several bones. Shortly after, a former Edisto Beach State Park ranger discovered a skull with some teeth attached.
Paleontologists later determined that both sets of remains dated back to 1865 and 1870, according to the article. One of the sets was identified as a cow skeleton.