Cainhoy’s Old Ruins Cemetery dates back to the 1690s. But as a 2018 article in the Daniel Island News states…preservation efforts pose a “Grave Situation”. CLICK HERE. Amid the explosive commercial and residential developments along Clement’s Ferry Road, that preservation battle continues, led by Cainhoy activist MaeRe Skinner. Skinner says she’s been helping take care of the cemetery as long as she can remember. Multiple generations of her family are buried there. For more on the preservation fight CLICK HERE.
Legal battles continue….but there’s also still a need for basic maintenance.
The Daniel Island Historical Society Cemetery Committee was out in force at the Old Ruins/McDowell Cemetery this week, assisting with a cleanup of the tombstones there.
DIHS cemetery cleanup committee members Kim Sermersheim, Dick Porter and Hugh Haynsworth joined Skinner and Riley Conover. You may remember Riley as the intern that helped launch our oral history project, The Cainhoy Collective. (For more on the Cainhoy Collective, including video of Riley’s presentation last April, CLICK HERE.)
This very sacred and historic site dates back to the late 1600s and has Revolutionary War ties. Thank you to these amazing volunteers for all of their efforts! As one volunteer said after the event…”It’s a labor of love!