Civil War site off Boundary Street cleared after protests

A historic Boundary Street site has been cleared of road construction equipment and supplies after an outcry over the possible effects on artifacts.

Battery Saxton, the remnant of a Civil War fortification adjacent to Wendy’s on Boundary Street, had been used as a staging area for the ongoing Beaufort Road redevelopment project. Historians and residents protested the placement of the equipment for its possible effect on any remaining artifacts on the site.

The site was subsequently cleared of the equipment and graded. Grass will be planted on the site, which the city wants to become part of an open passive park along the thoroughfare.

Beaufort County Historical Society’s Mary Lou Brewton met with city manager Bill Prokop and Boundary Street consultant Sammy Negron this week to review the work, a city news release said.

Drainage materials remaining near the site are in the street’s right-of-way and scheduled to be installed later this month, the release said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Civil War site off Boundary Street cleared after protests."