For decades, an empty, unmarked, crumbling brick tomb on the edge of the Philips Community lay hidden from sight, shrouded with pine needles, creeping vines, leaves and branches. Although unseen, the descendants of enslaved people who live on the ancestral land never forgot the burial ground.
According to community leader Richard Habersham, “In the 1950s, some people came onto the land and dug up the grave. They said a very important man was buried here but they never disclosed who it was. Nobody asked, because back then you wouldn’t have questioned a white man.”
Habersham, who grew up playing in the vacant crypt, added, “As kids, we didn’t know whose grave it was but as someone had once been buried there, it was spooky.”
Oral tradition says the tomb belonged to Dr. John Rutledge, once the wealthy owner of that acreage, which was historically known as the Rutledge Plantation. Family documents indicate that Rutledge died in 1750. Yet other than a 19th century map, there is little to no evidence to confirm or deny that the crypt served as his final resting place.
Architectural historian Brittany Lavelle Tulla said a clue corroborates the theory that an “important person” such as Rutledge was interred in the grave. “The formal brick vault is located on high ground. That means it has prominent placement.”…