Cemetery Projects

With over 11,000 acres, Charleston County Parks manages and preserves a wide range of natural and cultural resources. Part of this management includes several cemeteries within the parks. In 2021, Charleston County Parks completed a Cemetery Preservation Management Plan. To help implement this plan, special Advisory Groups will be created that will include known family descendants and stakeholders. 

Charleston County Parks believes each cemetery tells an important story and that these sites deserve respect, protection and preservation. With each cemetery project, we will work closely with descendants and the community at large to help honor the lives and legacies of those interred.

McLeod Plantation Cemetery Project 

A site-specific cemetery study at McLeod Plantation Historic Site is being initiated. The McLeod Cemetery can be traced back to the property’s earliest recorded history from the mid-late 18th century. The majority of the cemetery contains enslaved Africans, African Americans and indigenous associated with McLeod Plantation, with the last recorded burial occurring in 1965. It’s estimated that the cemetery contains approximately 300 known and unmarked burials; however, additional research is needed to fully determine the cemetery’s physical boundaries, number of unmarked graves and history.

To assist in this project an Advisory Group has been assembled that includes known family descendants, community members, Charleston County Parks Foundation, Historic Charleston Foundation and the City of Charleston. As this study is being conducted, all stakeholders including descendants are invited to visit the site. We encourage and welcome input from families, friends and members of the community who may have loved ones buried in the McLeod Cemetery or have additional information about the site.


Scope of Work

The McLeod Cemetery Project will be completed in several phases. The first phase will take place from mid-March through summer 2022 and includes:

  • Visual and instrumental surveying to help identify existing and unmarked graves.  
  • Use of ground-penetrating radar
  • Use of scent detection dogs to help identify cemetery boundaries
  • Digital mapping and recording
  • Archival/historical research
  • Discussions with family descendants and collection of oral histories
  • Public presentation about phase one findings


Become Involved

It is vital for descendants of those interred at the site to have a voice in the cemetery project. If you are a descendant or have information about the McLeod Cemetery, please contact:

  • Matthew Rosebrock, Charleston County Parks Foundation via email.
  • Toby Smith, Cultural History Interpretation Coordinator via email or by phone at 843-762-9508

To learn more as the project progresses, please continue to visit this webpage or follow Charleston County Park’s social media.  For additional information on project details, please contact Adam Ronan, Land Resource Planner, via email or by phone at 843-996-0621

Project Consultants

Charleston County Parks has contracted New South Associates, Inc. to provide professional services for the initial phase of cemetery work. New South is a nationally recognized cultural resource management firm, with extensive experience in handling historical cemeteries.