Old farm where Carolina founded to be park

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Charleston Mayor Joe Riley says creating a park on 44 acres of open space next to the site where the English colony of Carolina was founded is of statewide and national importance.

Officials say the old farmland has been little touched since the colony was founded more than 350 years ago. They say the land may yield a rich trove of artifacts dating back centuries.

The farm within the Charleston city limits was largely closed to the public until now. It is next to the Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site where the Carolina colony was founded in 1670.

The owner of the farm died last spring and bequeathed the property to the Lowcountry Open Land Trust. The nonprofit has sold the property to Charleston County to create a park.