Tourists make 'historically significant' discovery while exploring South Carolina beach

Tourists exploring a South Carolina island recently stumbled across "historically significant" remains, according to local officials.

The Colleton County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) announced the discovery in a May 24 press release. The remains were found the day before near the Jeremy Cay gated community, about half a mile from shore.

Edisto Island, south of Charleston, is one of several Sea Islands in the Palmetto State. It was first inhabited by Europeans in the 17th century.

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Tourists were wandering through the area on May 23 when they uncovered "what they initially believed to be fossils," according to officials.

"Upon closer examination, they realized the remains appeared to be human and promptly contacted the Colleton County Sheriff's Office and the Edisto Beach Police Department," authorities said. 

When officers arrived, they secured the area and handled the incident like a crime scene - but the circumstances of the remains were not exactly suspicious.

Rather, authorities said that the beachgoers found a "historically significant" site that likely served as a burial ground. 

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"The location of the discovery [was] once home to the 19th-century settlement known as Edingsville Beach," police said. 

"Early indications suggest the remains may originate from a long-forgotten burial site."

The Colleton County Coroner's Office arrived to recover the remains, which were then taken to the Medical University of South Carolina, where they are still being identified and studied.

"At this time, the identity of the individual and the circumstances surrounding their death remain unknown," the CCSO noted.

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"This is an active investigation, and the CCSO is working closely with the Coroner's Office and other partner agencies to determine more about the remains and their origin."

Edisto Island's tourism site says that Edingsville Beach was a popular seaside destination for wealthy Charleston residents before the Civil War began.

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After many of the residences were abandoned by planters who went bankrupt during the war, African American sharecroppers and farmers came into ownership of the buildings. 

By the late 19th century, many of the buildings were swept into the ocean due to hurricanes - and the recently discovered remains are some of the last traces of the once-thriving community.

Fox News Digital reached out to CCSO for additional information, but no new details were available.

As one of the original Thirteen Colonies, South Carolina is home to many historic sites. Earlier this year, a group of veterans gathered in Kershaw County to excavate a Revolutionary War battlefield.

Two years earlier, the remains of multiple Revolutionary War soldiers were found at the same Kershaw County site.