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Location: Near Brailsford Drive in Quail Arbor V, Summerville, SC.

A BIT OF HISTORY IN DORCHESTER COUNTY

In 1977, when my husband, Major William D. Smith, and I purchased a home on Brailsford Drive in Quail Arbor V, we explored the territory and the woods behind our lot. There we discovered three old marked graves in an overgrown cemetery. They are listed at the end of this article. Excited about finding "a bit of Dorchester County history" that had been forgotten and forsaken for a considerable number of years, we have tried to protect the property from vandalism and neglect. Already deep holes have been dug at each grave site, apparently in an attempt to find buried treasure or artifacts. One of the headstones has been shattered by mischief-makers while we have lived there. I certainly would like to have this area fenced off and protected as an historical site. I truly hope that some means for preserving the small cemetery will materialize. It is a beautiful area, with large overhanging oaks and magnolias in the vicinity. Even the struggling stalks of old camellia bushes and nandina can be found hidden in the nearby underbrush.

The cemetery is located on an annexed portion of Travellers Rest plantation, adjoining another plantation called Barren Heath. My husband, a veteran woodsman, noted the ridges and ruts through the area, indicating the presence of an old wagon road leading in the direction of Fort Dorchester. We are investigating the possibility that this is the same road which appears on Henry Smith's map of the area, printed in 1919. Legare Walker in 1941, also described a road and this cemetery in his history of Dorchester County. He states that another inscribed tombstone belonging to Eliza Stewart Morgan used to be in the cemetery, but had disappeared. Several depressions in the plot give evidence of other graves there. Two of the graves, lettered "A. S." and "M. S." presumably belong to the Daniel Stewart family who lived nearby. The other marked grave belongs to Dr. Wm Morgan, who evidently died of a longstanding illness (See Vol, XXXIII, No. 2, April 1932, p. 141, of the South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine). This cemetery is indeed one of the earlier type of cemeteries, being surrounded on all sides by a deep ditch. In the woods nearby, I accidentally stumbled upon the remains of some type of old structure; the bricks and glass are obviously quite old and similar to those found at Fort Dorchester. The relationship of these remains to the cemetery is not quite clear yet. In the meantime, would-be treasure hunters or curiosity seekers are reminded that there are South Carolina laws that protect abandoned cemeteries. It is against the law to mutilate or deface tombstones or any enclosure around them. It is also illegal to desecrate a grave or gravestone. Ann Hosford Smith

1. Portions of the above article, along with a picture of Ann Hosford Smith holding up a broken tombstone of Dr. Wm. Morgan, 
appeared in the Summerville Journal-Scene, Friday, April 6, 1979.  They have kindly given us permission to include its contents 
in our publication.  We especially recognize Mr. William C. Collins, editor, and his staff. 

We especially recognize Mr. William C. Collins, editor, and his staff.
2. See early map of Dorchester County by Henry A. M. Smith, 1919.
3. Dorchester County, by Legare Walker, 1941, can be found in the Summerville Library and the Timrod Library,
or by contacting his daughter, Mrs. Louis T. Parker.