In memory of little Leila, infant daughter of Dr. W.S. and S.C. Howell who departed this life Mar. 20, 1859 aged 3 yrs, 8 months and 26 days.
If you don’t know it’s there you might just drive right on past it, but at the corner of a residential street and a busy rural road in South Carolina you’ll find a single grave standing in memory of one child lost many years ago. There’s no cemetery. No other graves. No family nearby. Just that one monument.
According to one local person I talked with, Little Leila Howard died of typhoid and was buried on what was, at the time, a well known wagon train route. Her parents and siblings were headed to Texas, and they had to leave Leila behind and continue the journey.
But findagrave tells a different story, and much less dramatic although no less heartbreaking, story with a news clipping that says her family lived nearby and she rests where she loved play – in the shade of the trees. There were once towering oaks here!
One fact is that the Howell family did move to Texas after Leila’s death. The remaining family was buried at a plot in Bryan, Texas with no mention of the little girl whose monument sits alone in South Carolina…
Crunchy leaves, a gas line warning and loud traffic is what you experience at Leila’s grave nowadays. The iron fencing has disappeared but there is evidence that some people brave the fast traffic to stop by to pay their respects, leave flowers and clean up around the site. So she might not be that lonely after all!
I’m always in a bit in awe of gravesites that survive outside of a set boundary such as a cemetery or fenced off family plot or the like. This monument sits just steps away from that busy road and yet it still stands. It seems impervious to a vehicle strike and general development! Although this isn’t the first tribute to her. It appears that at least one has been lost to a car/truck accident!
You can see a photo of Leila as well as her previous monuments here.
I updated this post to reflect the historical findings. While I do love a local legend, I also need to remember to share the documented facts. Thanks to those who shared that Leila has more than one story…
