Construction at The Citadel Uncovers More Than 50 Unmarked Graves Beneath Historic Stadium
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A construction project at Johnson Hagood Stadium has uncovered more than 50 unmarked graves, bringing renewed attention to the complex and often forgotten history buried beneath one of college football’s most recognizable venues.
The Citadel announced that construction crews discovered the human remains while working on a drainage improvement project along the eastern side of the stadium. Work in the affected area was immediately halted after the discovery, which occurred in May, and archaeologists were brought in to evaluate the site before any further work continued.
While the discovery may surprise many fans, historians say it is not entirely unexpected.
Johnson Hagood Stadium was originally constructed by the City of Charleston in 1927 atop the historic Tower Hill Cemetery, a 23-acre public burial ground that operated between 1841 and 1927. Researchers estimate that more than 26,000 people were buried there, including enslaved African Americans, Irish immigrants, Confederate soldiers, sailors, mariners, asylum patients, infants, and many of Charleston’s poor. When the stadium was built, only a small portion of those buried at the cemetery were relocated, leaving thousands of graves beneath what is now the stadium and surrounding athletic facilities.
The latest discovery has reignited calls from preservation advocates for a broader memorial recognizing those buried at Tower Hill Cemetery. Local historian Julie Bowling, who has spent years documenting those interred there, says the cemetery represents an important piece of Charleston’s history and believes those buried there deserve greater recognition and permanent memorialization.
The Citadel says the newly discovered remains will be respectfully reinterred in a protected memorial area on the south side of Johnson Hagood Stadium. School officials also stated they will continue working with archaeologists, the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, and community stakeholders throughout the remainder of the project to ensure proper handling of any additional discoveries.
The discovery serves as another reminder that many historic cemeteries across the United States remain hidden beneath modern development. In Charleston, where centuries of history are layered beneath the city’s streets and neighborhoods, construction projects frequently uncover remnants of the past.
As work resumes around Johnson Hagood Stadium, the focus has shifted beyond football. What began as a routine infrastructure project has become an opportunity to acknowledge thousands of lives that helped shape Charleston’s history but whose stories have largely remained forgotten for nearly a century.
