• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Why two people are buried in graves under runway at airport

Home> Lifestyle> Travel

Published 14:39 12 Jan 2024 GMT

Why two people are buried in graves under runway at airport

Catherine and Richard Dotson are buried beneath the Savannah airport

Britt Jones

Britt Jones

When you’re on the tarmac and ready to jet off somewhere for business or pleasure, it’s rare to wonder what’s going on beneath the surface.

However, if you’ve ever sat on this specific tarmac, there’s some history there for you to explore.

Next time you’re set up for a landing at the Savannah Hilton Head airport, if you see two rectangular shapes side by side on the runway, there’s a bizarre reason for it.

Advert

This airport is holding some serious history.
Instagram/ savhhiairport

Two graves remain at the edge of runway 10 and 28, while two more are off to the side.

You see, before the airport was a place for travel, it was a piece of land owned by Catherine and Richard Dotson.

Born in 1779, the couple farmed on the land known as Cherokee Hills during their 50 years of marriage before Catherine passed away in 1877, and Richard just seven years later.

Where did the pair end up being buried?

Advert

Of course, on their land.

That slab of area was actually the family cemetery on their farm, which held around 100 graves, which unfortunately also included the graves of slaves.

The markers on the tarmac at the airport are the grave sites for Catherine and Richard and are over 150 years old.

After the couple passed, and World War II was on the verge of happening, the military at the time were in need of a place to land its B-24 ‘Liberators’ and B-17 ‘Flying Fortresses’.

However, that place was right on top of the cemetery, which meant that they had to move almost all of the graves to Bonaventure Cemetery.

Advert

But not the Dotson’s.

Strange place for a grave, but there is a reason behind it.
Savannah Airport

This is because their descendants wouldn’t consent to their graves being moved, and believed that Catherine and Richard would want to stay put on the land that they had put so much hard work into for decades.

So, there was no choice left but to have the area paved over their graves, so that a runway could be set up.

Though, they did put markets on the graves as a sign of respect to those buried beneath its surface.

Advert

But they aren’t the only graves at the airport, as it's website confirms that two more graves of Dotson relatives, Daniel Hueston and John Dotson are nearby in the brush near the airport's most active runway.

So, there you have it folks, a little bit of history to get you through your Friday afternoon.

You really do learn something new everyday.

Featured Image Credit: Savannah Airport/Google Maps

Topics: News, US News, Weird, Travel

Britt Jones
Britt Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Sinister reason why you can't be buried in town that's had rule since 1950
  • Man stayed overnight on 'world's creepiest island' with 160,000 corpses where people are banned
  • Airport worker crushed to death under glass elevator while passengers hear shouts of pain
  • People share same response after discovering what airport X-ray scanners see when you walk through them

Choose your content:

15 hours ago
a day ago
  • 15 hours ago

    Woman who sold all belongings to live permanently on a cruise ship exposes 'dark side' of life on there

    Lynelle sold everything she owned and now lives permanently on a cruise ship

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Top place to go for a night out in Europe as cheapest party destinations revealed

    The European Nightlife Index has revealed the best cities for a night out across the continent

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Man kicked out of Dubai on £3,000 holiday over his face tattoos

    He said he was 'massively discriminated' against

    Lifestyle
  • a day ago

    Cruise ship worker reveals main difference between all inclusive holiday at sea vs in a hotel

    Turns out there's some hidden costs you need to pay for

    Lifestyle