Beaufort County judge grants limited cemetery access to St. Helena Island Gullah community

ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C. (WTOC) - After two months of waiting, a Beaufort County judge has granted relief to residents of St. Helena Island, allowing them to visit a historic Gullah Geechee cemetery for the first time in nearly two years.

The ruling comes as a significant but partial victory for members of the St. Helena Island community who have been locked out of Big House Cemetery since 2024.

What the Ruling Allows

Under the judge’s decision, made on February 20, community members will now be able to use Big House Cemetery for funerals, burials, and cleanup days.

However, access comes with conditions: visitors must provide written notice to property owners on Everest Road at least three days before funerals or burials and 14 days before scheduled cleanup activities.

The Dispute Over Access

For decades, the St. Helena Island Gullah Geechee community used Everest Road to access Big House Cemetery.

When the gate was originally installed in 2023, members of the Big House Cemetery Council were provided with a code for entry.

However, following a funeral in 2024 where property owners say the road was left in disarray, the code was changed—effectively locking out the community members.

“It’s everything to them,” Attorney for The Big House Cemetery Committee, Tyler Bailey, said.

The cemetery council was directed to use an alternative route to access the burial ground, but they argued this detour was significantly more difficult and problematic than the original path.

The Legal Fight

The dispute escalated into a formal legal battle in 2025.

The case centers on a fundamental question of heritage and community access rights.

“Really goes to the fabric of who they are as a community,” Bailey said. “When that was torn away from them, it’s almost like missing a part of your heritage.”

Jessica Vosburgh, another attorney for the council, expressed cautious optimism about the court’s decision, saying: “We welcome the decision and are now looking forward to our clients being able to maintain the cemetery. It’s been years since they have been able to get in there. They are really worried about it getting overgrown and lost to the elements.”

What Comes Next

While the ruling provides temporary relief, legal experts say the community still has significant ground to cover. The injunction will remain in effect until either a jury reaches a final verdict or the two parties reach an agreement.

Attorneys for Big House say their clients are “very focused on getting full relief in this case, which for them means accessing the cemetery every day.”

In a related development, the judge denied a motion filed by property owners to dismiss the case entirely.

Currently, no trial date has been set.

This limited victory represents progress for the St. Helena Island community’s efforts to restore its long-established relationship with Big House Cemetery—one of many historic Gullah Geechee burial grounds in the Lowcountry region.