The international airport was built on former farmland, according to its website. When the Savannah airport needed to expand during World War II, the land included a burial site belonging to the Dotson family, according to the airport's website. It was estimated to have had about 100 graves, including those of slaves.

Several airports are famous for being built over or around cemeteries, but the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) is the most unique because the grave markers are actually embedded in the runway. When the airport was expanded during WWII, the Dotson family's private cemetery sat in the path of Runway 10/28. While most bodies were moved, the family requested that the original owners, Richard and Catherine Dotson, remain undisturbed. Today, their grave markers are visible on the edge of the active runway. Another example is Toronto Pearson (YYZ), which was built around the Elmbank Cemetery; for decades, a small fenced-off graveyard sat between taxiways until it was eventually relocated for safety. These sites serve as a surreal reminder of the rapid urbanization and infrastructure expansion that took place over the last century.