The Col. William Few chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution held a ceremony on Aug. 2 to return the once-lost grave marker of Revolutionary War Veteran Stephen Day (1742 – 1825) to his grave and to celebrate a new memorial marker being placed at his gravesite.
The gravestone was returned officially on the 200th anniversary of the year Day died.
The ceremony, which included a cannon and rifle salute and music by the Garden City Strummers, a dulcimer group that plays period tunes from the era of George Washington, was held at the Evans Market next to the Columbia County Performing Arts Center.
Once the gravestone was found, it took over a year to put together a proper ceremony to mark the occasion of the stone’s replacement, but the family of Stephen Day say it was well worth the wait. According to Alan Smith, who emceed and helped organize the event, Hurricane Helene put the plans off for months.
“Stephen Day has descendants living, really, all over the place, so we had to try and find a time convenient for everyone, and of course, with everyone here cleaning up from Helene, we put it on hold,” Smith said.
In 2023, workers developing the Grove Landing neighborhood had found the gravestone in a pile of rubble, but could not find a corresponding grave; so the headstone was turned over to the Grovetown museum.
Some time later, a grave was discovered in the development area, and records from the Daughters of the American Revolution showed that the grave belonged to Day.
Thinking that the gravestone was long lost, the family purchased a new marker, built a metal fence around the site and installed a marble-reflecting bench.
The family later discovered that Day’s missing headstone was actually in the possession of the Grovetown Museum and tried for the past three years to have it returned.
According to the family, the museum basically told them “finders-keepers,” that is, until Mayor Gary Jones became involved and instructed the property be returned. The Augusta Press covered the saga in 2024, a few days after the story ran Jones ordered the museum, which is owned and operated by the city, to return the property to the family.
Susan Sussman, the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Day, says the staff at the museum tried to tell her that the marker had been donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution for display.
“I am a member of the DAR, and I know that our policy is not to donate gravestones. We find the grave it belongs to and return it,” Sussman said. “We are so glad that the city decided to do the right thing and put his original marker back where it belongs.”
Stephen Day was originally from Pennsylvania where he was raised a Quaker, a religious group that is fervently pacifist. When the Revolution began, Day’s patriotism outweighed his religious beliefs, and he signed up for war.
Because he decided to take up arms, he was excommunicated from the Quakers.
After the war, having no reason to return to Pennsylvania, Day migrated south and ended up in present day Grovetown. When he died, he was buried on his own property, rather than a cemetery, which was the rural custom of the time.
“We are delighted and proud to see that the marker has been returned to its rightful place and will be there to honor this Revolutionary War patriot,” Smith said.
Day’s final resting place is now gated and can be found near the Grove Landing community pool located between Grove Landing Circle and Grove Landing Drive.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter, Editorial Page Editor and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
