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.
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.
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.”
