Disrepair of Baynard Mausoleum

A mausoleum is meant to be a structure designed and built to stand the test of time. News out of Hilton Head this week, however, highlights an antebellum monument, built some 165 years ago, that is in a horrible state of disrepair.

The Baynard Mausoleum in the Zion Chapel of Ease cemetery is the oldest known structure on Hilton Head Island. Built for the wealthy southern planter William Eddings Baynard in 1846, the mausoleum is the centerpiece of the 2.8-acre cemetery.

Constructed primarily of limestone and sandstone, the exceedingly weighty slabs that constitute the roof of the structure are in danger of imminent collapse. Speaking with the local newspaper, The Island Packet, Charleston masonry specialist Frank Genello stated, “Whether it would [fall apart] tomorrow or five years from now is anybody’s guess.” The sandstone walls have been decimated by excess moisture and the tile flooring has almost completely deteriorated.

The Heritage Library Foundation is hoping to raises $175,000 to begin the restoration of the structure by the spring of 2015. If the renovation is successful, Heritage Library Foundation executive director Linda Piekut believes the site will become an “antebellum-era learning center” for visitors to the island to tour and learn of the area’s history. 

“It’s the only surviving building we have from that era,” she said.