This grave of an African American is near St. Andrews in Richland County. The African custom of decorating a grave with items that their former owner might need in the spirit world was widespread in South Carolina. Frequently the cups, bottles, pots, pipes, and other belongings were not new and whole, but were cracked and broken, in the belief that this would free the spirit of the object and allow it to follow its owner into the spirit world.
Courtesy of the Sumter County Museum Archives.
