Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Mysterious memorial site on Cofc campus

I've have been at Cofc  for almost a whole year and I have been passing this mysterious memorial that I didn't even know was their. Here at the College of Charleston, their is a memorial of a woman name Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. I have been passing her memorial for almost a year now not evening know it was their. I know a lot of student have passed this memorial and not even know its their. It is located in the heart of Cougar Mall.


Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson was the mother of the 7th resident of the United States who died in the fall of 1781. She had ship fever which is know as Cholera. Jackson was 14 when she died. President Andrew Jackson had wondered the whereabout of where his mother was put to rest. On her maker, it notes that "Near this spot is buried, Elizabeth Jackson" who is mostly not.
After Elizabeth's death, she was buried on a hill. Which was a simple unmarked grave. Andrew Jackson was attempting for years to find the loaction of bones. So he can he could bury her next to his father, but he was unable to do so. Jackson was then told by James H. Witerspoon of Lancaster that " Your mother is buried in the surburbs of Charleston about one mile from what was then called the Governor's Gate, which is in and about the forks of Meeting and King street Railroads."

In 1942, Elizabeth Jackson's gravestone was moved to Charleston on the corner of King Street and Heriot Street. After many complaints of the gravestone having weeds obscure it and being in an unsanitary area, repairs were done and they move the gravestone to the Cougar Mall where it has been since 1967.

Overall this grave was a giant mystery which was cool to find out about. The mystery of the burial site is way more then just a historical footnote.

No comments:

Post a Comment