Husband, wife buried on runway at US airport greet thousands of planes every year
The graves are the only ones in the world embedded in an active 9,350-foot runway serving thousands of general and commercial aviation operations yearly, according to Savannah/Hilton Head International.
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SAVANNAH, Ga. – Passengers aboard planes at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia may not realize they're rolling over generations of history buried 6 feet under one of the runways.
Each year, Runway 10 at Savannah/Hilton Head International sees numerous departures and arrivals, making it the busiest runway.
(Savannah/Hilton Head International)
The gravestones of Richard and Catherine Dotson, along with those of their family members Daniel Hueston and John Dotson, remain undisturbed today, according to aviation officials. Richard and Catherine Dotson's gravestones are on Runway 10, the airport's most active runway.
"The families wished for the graves to remain in place when westward extension of this east to west runway was required during World War II," the airport states on its website.
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Richard and Catherine Dotson's gravestones are located on Runway 10, the airport's most active runway.
(Savannah/Hilton Head International)
Their graves are the only ones in the world embedded in an active 9,350-foot runway serving thousands of general and commercial aviation operations yearly, according to the airport.
"We consider the Dotsons to be part of our airport family, and we’re happy to have markers honoring them as an important part of our history," airport spokeswoman Lori Lynah told FOX Weather. "It’s always interesting to hear about pilots and passengers alike who’ve heard about the graves and want to learn more about their story."
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Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is considered a small-sized airport and is the second largest of Georgia's nine commercial airports after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
History of Dotson Family Farm
The remaining grave markers are located on the western half of where Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport exists today, honoring the original owners of the Dotson Family Farm, known in the 1800s as Cherokee Hills.
In 1942, the U.S. War Department needed more facilities for expanding military operations, according to Savannah airport officials. The city signed a lease with the federal government for 1,100 acres of land where the airport is located today.
The federal government purchased Chatham Field and started a program to expand its facilities. The goal was to make it a command base and heavy bombardment combat crew training station for the second bomb wing of the Army Air Corps, the airport said.
The Dotson family's private cemetery was acquired as part of this purchase. According to the airport, the family cemetery was believed to have contained more than 100 graves.
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Grave markers for the original owners of the Dotson Family Farm are located on the western half of Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, once known as Cherokee Hills.
(Savannah/Hilton Head International)
The airport reports the Dotson family's great-grandchildren negotiated with the federal government, and all but four of their ancestors were relocated to Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.