MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) – The Lowcountry is home to hundreds of historic African American cemeteries, but because of a lack of documentation and records, they can often be overlooked.
That is what happened to Scanlonville Cemetery in Mount Pleasant before the East Cooper Civic Club took over the ownership.
The East Cooper Civic Club held the annual Scanlonville Flower Day Celebration on Saturday to honor those who live there and the history it holds
“What we started doing is honoring our ancestors that started this community and that’s why we formed Flower Day,” Miss Jackie Gore, East Cooper Civic Club Treasurer, said.
The Scanlonville community is along the Wando River, which is for a reason. It wasn’t geographically desirable for a majority of the white community to live along the water during slavery.
“One of the things you know most African-American communities, if you notice, they’re all along the waterway,” Gore said.
Fourth generation Scanlonville community member, Ashlee Priester, said having the celebration serves as a purpose to keep the history alive, passed down to generations.
“If we don’t hold on to our storytellers and our generations, if our grandmothers and great-grandmothers aren’t passing down recipes and stories, we’re going to lose all of that heritage,” Priester said.
She said a part of their culture is to hold value in their legacy because it wasn’t always accessible to them.
“My six-year-old is here, my one-year-old is here because one day when I move on, I’d expect them to uphold the same responsibility that I’ve been entrusted with as well,” Priester said.
Priester saw headstones with her family’s last name, making her wonder if they’re related, encouraging her to keep history alive.
“You feel the connection to the land, especially once some of those generations go on. This is our connection. This is my connection to my grandmother, to my grandfather, to other people in the community,” Priester said.
Another part of the flower day celebration was the reveal of the fourth and final plaque with the history in writing, not able to be overlooked again.
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