37 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com whitewashed.” In 2024, Stone and Seawell invited community partners to participate in a clean-up day. Once the area was accessible, they used funds from a local grant that Habersham had received to subcontract scholar Jon Marcoux, who gave a structural analysis through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Research Laboratories of Archaeology. “Thorough ground penetrating radar (GPR) of the tomb did not identify any remains, so we don’t definitively know what happened to whomever was interred,” Stone said. “Maybe the family moved whoever was buried there somewhere else. It is a big mystery. But that’s not our focus. Rather, our goal is interpreting the landscape surrounding the tomb.” That area beyond the tomb is significant, she said, as GPR identified five other “areas of interest” just a few feet away from the grave. “Jon said the readings showed that the features may be ‘multiple reflection phenomena’ and that any interpretation of the results as possible burials should be considered with ‘low confidence.’” She added, “Although we can’t verify that those areas are unmarked burials, out of an abundance of caution we are operating under the assumption that they could be. Due to everyone’s interests and preservation standards, we will proceed with utmost respect when clearing that land.” After the tomb’s restoration is finished, the Phillips Community Association plans to expand the site as a park that will feature an interpretive sign about the tomb and community. It may also include benches for sitting and reflecting on the significance of these hallowed grounds, according to Seawell. “The project is bigger than Phillips,” Habersham concluded. “We want to also acknowledge this history for the town of Mount Pleasant, the county and the state.” Additional funding is required to complete the work. Learn more about making a donation by visiting www.ourphillipscommunity.com and clemson.edu/ innovation-campuses/charleston/conservation/. 1,700+ PLUMBING AIR CONDITIONING DUCTOWRK REPLACEMENT SERVICE & INSTALLATION DRAIN CLEANING & REPAIR SAME DAY SERVICE Let Rudd Come to the Rescue! Solve all your Plumbing, Heating & Air Problems When You Call Rudd! RUDD AVANTAGE PLAN as low as $19/month! Keep your home running all year round! RuddPros.com (843) 212-2740 our town
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