The College of Charleston announced Feb. 16 that it will not purchase McLeod Plantation from the Historic Charleston Foundation.
The College of Charleston Foundation signed an Agreement of Purchase and Sale with the HCF in October 2009, agreeing to buy the plantation pending due diligence. Since October, the Foundation has been studying and analyzing the property and talking to concerned community groups about the future of the plantation.
During the process, the Foundation discovered unmarked gravesites that eliminated designated build zones, Foundation Executive Director and Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement George Watt told the George Street Observer in January.
“We set out to acquire McLeod for student and academic experience,” Watt said.
The Foundation and the College originally planned to use McLeod for academic resources and fields for intramural sports and a college green.
Through the due diligence process, the Foundation also learned the extent of restoration that the McLeod buildings would need, but that fit into the plan for the property.