Sacred Spaces
Kevin Shaw remembers his father, Earl, bringing him out to Daniel Island as a young boy decades ago to show him the final resting places of his ancestors. His grandfather, April Shaw, and his great-grandparents, Hannah and Cupid Shaw, are buried in Grove Cemetery, located off the walking trail behind Volvo Car Stadium. Some of his family members are also buried in the island’s other two African-American graveyards – Simmons Cemetery and Alston Cemetery. “He wanted to show me the sites,” recalled Kevin.
“He wanted me to know where they were, where my ancestors were buried.”
That care and attention shown to him by his father for those laid to rest made an impression on Kevin – and remains the driving force behind his family’s desire to see the cemeteries maintained and accessible today. For the last two years, Kevin and his brother, Ronnie, have been hard at work on a collaborative community project to enhance Grove Cemetery, which also serves as the final resting place for ancestors of the late Master Blacksmith Philip Simmons. The site was once hard to find – and passersby may not have known its purpose, as there was no entrance marking the graveyard. Through their efforts, and those of many other individuals and local organizations, the sacred burial ground now has a beautiful new tabby and metal fence, along with an iron gate at the entrance, a tribute to Philip Simmons and his acclaimed ironworks.
“It was hard at first,” said Ronnie, who diligently oversaw construction on the project. “But we finally got it started and went back there and drew up a plan, and also a design. And the family OK’d it. There were a few bumps in the road, but we got it done.”
Ronnie credited the work of skilled masonry contractors and others in seeing the project to fruition.
“We wanted to enhance the look in that area, because it’s a great walking path,” added Ronnie. “So we wanted to make it look pretty nice if we were gonna do it – and that’s what we did.”
The list of those who took part in the effort is long. According to Kevin and Ronnie, their mother, Rosa, also was involved, along with their cousin Rev. David Riley, who has ancestors buried in the island’s cemeteries. Help also came from the Dennis and Mitchell families.
“The reason we wanted to do this is our ancestors worked very hard,” added Kevin. “And we just figured they deserved something nice, a sacred place that people can come and see and that is presentable, for all the hard work and dedication they put in over the years for us. We wanted to pay tribute to them.”
Paying for the $42,000 project was a challenge, but ultimately the funding was secured – with a variety of individuals and island organizations coming together in support of the cause. According to Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the Daniel Island Property Owners Association, who worked closely with the Shaw family throughout the process, private fundraising totaled $23,100 and another $19,149 was provided by the Daniel Island Community Fund. Among the early donors were the Daniel Island Historical Society and the Rotary Club of Daniel Island. Work stalled a bit in the last year as the Shaw family and Baker attempted to close the funding gaps – and at the end of 2018, Charleston Tennis LLC, owners and operators of the Volvo Car Open and the Family Circle Tennis Center, came through with a sizeable contribution to help complete the project.
“This was a total community partnership,” noted Baker. “We are so excited to be at a wonderful place with this cemetery…Paying special attention to our cemeteries is a way to educate island property owners about the historical significance of this place they now live. And hopefully visitors that come to the island can help appreciate the full story of Daniel Island – past and present.”
To Mike Dahlman, co-author of the book “Daniel Island” and co-founder of the Daniel Island Historical Society, the improvements to Grove Cemetery are monumental.
“With Grove Cemetery, no one knew where it was,” he said. “You could even tell them where it was and people would walk right by…It’s no longer hidden.”
The historical significance of the site has now been brought to light, added Dahlman, who believes the cemetery is tied to the Lesesne Plantation and holds the remains of slaves in unmarked graves dating back to the 1700s.
“It is centrally located where the slave cabins were, and along the path that the slaves used to get from their cottages to the fields” he said. “…It was along the water, which was typically what they did. They needed some type of path to get to their sacred burial grounds by water.”
Unmarked graves in the African tradition were often marked with grave goods and wooden placards, noted Dahlman, but “over time those have been lost.” He hopes the attention to Grove Cemetery will elevate the site’s importance as a unique part of Daniel Island’s heritage.
“It really is the completion of a dream,” he said. “We’re finally able to honor those who for centuries have worked this land, bore on this land, and now are interred here…And now the community, because this (graveyard) is so obvious and accessible, will start to understand that deeper history.”
“The Daniel Island Historical Society is proud to support the efforts to preserve the memory of the earliest residents of Daniel Island,” added Bill Thielfoldt, DIHS president. “It was a cooperative effort with the POA and the Shaw family to get us to this point. We will continue to make sure these precious sites get the recognition they deserve.”
Kevin and Ronnie Shaw believe the new fence and gate are a great start, but they’d like to see even more done down the road to improve the cemetery.
“We want to try to in the future go in there and identify all of the graves,” said Ronnie. “Some have sunk down. We want to make it look like a graveyard again…We have a lot of family members and a lot of veterans in there, too, so we want to try to get new headstones for these veterans.”
They also would like to see enhancements made to the Simmons and Alston Cemeteries as well. Simmons is located in between the Barfield Park boardwalk and the Daniel Island Real Estate Sales Center, and Alston overlooks Ralston Creek in Daniel Island Park. For now though, the Shaw brothers are extremely thankful for all who made the Grove improvements possible. “We appreciate all the help and generosity from everyone who donated for us to get this completed,” said Kevin.
Earl Shaw passed away a number of years ago, but his legacy remains an inspiration to both Kevin and Ronnie, who often think of their father’s mission to honor those who came before him.
“He really pushed hard to try to get something done with all of the graveyards on the island,” added Ronnie. “Because there’s a whole lot of history there. And we didn’t want it to fade away.”
Already, the newly enhanced cemetery is having an impact.
“I was just back there and we were looking at it as it was completed,” continued Ronnie, “and an older lady came by and said ‘I have been walking through here for 20 years and now I really have something to look at.’ And it made me feel proud.”
“I feel a sense of accomplishment that the task is done,” said Kevin. “And I feel good. The cemetery looks the way it should, for our ancestors’ sake.”
Following is a list of individuals known to be buried at Grove Cemetery, as documented in the book “Daniel Island” by Michael K. Dahlman and Michael K. Dahlman, Jr. According to the Dahlmans, the site contains the remains of approximately 45-50 individuals and likely dates back to the 1700s. The book states there are 17 marked graves, including three that indicate service in the 371st colored infantry regiments, and a number of identifiable grave depressions.
Mrs. Lucille F. Coleman 1904-1965
April Shaw Private, U.S. Army 1895-1958
Cupid Shaw 1871-1927
Hannah Shaw (Birth year unknown) – 1928
Ben Crews 1903-1947 Sarah Frost 1906-1927
Henry Simmons 1884-1942
William Simmons World War I veteran 1897-1961
Eva Simmons (birth year unknown) – 1964
Susan Simmons (birth year unknown) – 1957
William Simmons 1854 – 1941
Rosa Burns (birth year unknown) – 1964
Edward Burns World War I veteran 1894-1952
Etta Perrineau (birth year unknown) - 1958
Nancy Mitchell 1872 - 1957
Melvin Shalls (birth year unknown) - 1969
Lula Williams 1927-1935