All Titles

The remains of more than twenty historic plantations rest beneath the waters of Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie, and Charleston historian Douglas Bostick raises them from the depths in this haunting visual journey.

South Carolinians have long desired a route for water navigation from Columbia to Charleston. An early Santee Canal effort ended in failure by 1850, but interest was reignited in the twentieth century. Roosevelt and his New Deal provided the necessary hydroelectric power and a boost to the state’s economy through the funding of a navigable route utilizing the Congaree, Santee and Cooper Rivers. This ambitious undertaking would become the largest land-clearing project in the history of the United States, requiring the purchase of more than 177,000 acres.

From the Lowcountry's first recorded duel to old-fashioned summers at the 'hottest spot in town", these pages will captivate you with stories of people, events and places that have all but vanished from memory.

Find out the real history behind some of Charleston's beloved mansions and learn about the early plantations and their owners. Join the authors as they relate the riots and romance, the preservation and politics - and even a ghost story - from Charleston's hidden history.

Beaufort, South Carolina, the Palmetto State's second-oldest town, is a paradigm of the Low Country.

Historic mansions overlook the bay with century-old oaks standing sentinel. Visitors to Beaufort feel right at home, and those with a love of history have a true appreciation of the area. Since its discovery by the Spaniards in the early 1500s, Beaufort has experienced numerous personalities and ways of life, from plantations to war, phosphate mining, hurricanes, and large-scale truck farming. Gullah, a culture and dialect spoken by ex-slaves and their descendants, is kept alive at Penn Center, the first school for the newly emancipated. Three military installations are here: Marine Corps Recruit Parris Island, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and the U.S. Naval Hospital Beaufort. Various forts, churches, and schools served the area in their specific ways. Today, some lie in ruins offering peaceful repose while others remain intact and are well preserved. Beaufort's quaint downtown is a National Historic Landmark District.

Rural Life in the Lowcountry of South Carolina contains over 200 previously unpublished images depicting life at the grassroots level during the first half of the 20th century. This volume presents a realistic and at times sobering view of everyday people and their struggles to make a living. Exploring such topics as growing crops, making syrup, and raising livestock, this volume also portrays the area's distinct architecture, evident in barns, farmhouses, and church buildings. As the state becomes more industrialized, residents are beginning to forget their agricultural heritage, and many know only the stories of elderly family members. These photographs, coupled with informative text, will bridge the present generations with the past.

Hilton Head Island: One of South Carolina's premier tourist destinations with an intriguing history dating as far back as 10,000 years ago.

Hilton Head Island's scenery and leisure industry attract more than 1.5 million visitors each year to play golf, relax on the beaches, or just soak up the atmosphere. Before the fairways and hotels ever arrived on the scene, however, the island already had a long and interesting history when Native Americans first began to visit the area. In Hilton Head Island, Natalie Hefter and the Coastal Discovery Museum revisit this history, charting the area's development from its first plantation in 1717, through the boom years of shipbuilding and Sea Island cotton to the Civil War. In over 200 vintage
photographs, the authors document the impact of the Union occupation, the establishment of Mitchelville (the island's contraband and Freedmen community), the dramatic effects of the first bridge to the island, and the development of the tourist industry that now typifies this popular South Carolina destination.

In 1670, the English ship Carolinabrought colonists to the west bank of the Ashley River.

These settlers and their descendants, along with thousands of enslaved Africans, built a flourishing plantation life in what became St. Andrew's Parish. The Civil War devastated the plantation society, and it seemed that St. Andrew's Parish glory years were in the past until 1889, when construction of a new toll bridge improved access to West Ashley from the peninsula of downtown Charleston. A suburban boom that began in the 1920s expanded and revitalized the community, and many of the original families who built homes, churches, schools, and businesses still live in the community today--a testament to the continued vitality and livability of St. Andrew's Parish, West Ashley.

Discover many of the unknown oddities of Chucktown - from its people to its foods.

To escape death the slaves hid. So begins ""Insurrection on the Stono,"" the story of a 1739 slave rebellion on the outskirts of the city. Charleston's violent and varied history emerges in the retelling of this dramatic event. In Charleston Curiosities: Stories of the Tragic, Heroic and Bizarre, South Carolina Historical Society's Michael Coker describes several centuries' worth of little-known wonders from the Holy City. Whatever happened to Osceola's head? What was it like to walk the streets of Charleston just after secession was declared? Whether presenting the colonial struggle among European powers for control of Charles Towne or the real story of the birth of she-crab soup, this eclectic and engaging volume will delight seasoned historians, residents and visitors alike.

Discover the history of Folly Beach and how it transformed over the years from Coffin Island to a popular vacation destination.

Folly Beach was not named for its carefree inhabitants' lifestyles, but it is a fitting moniker nonetheless. Originally dubbed Folly for its dense foliage and forests just across the marsh from James Island and Charleston, the six-mile sliver of land has served as an outpost for Civil War soldiers, an inspiration to George Gershwin, and a place of fond memories for thousands of residents, vacationers, and day-trippers seeking time to relax in the sea and sand. Long before Folly became a place for respite and relaxation, however, it served as a quarantine island for sick sailors, forebodingly referred to as Coffin Island. By the 1950s, Folly's dark history was sufficiently replaced with an amusement park, bowling alley, and moonlight dances out on the pier.

From Tory plantation to a thriving and diverse city, discover Greenville's transformation through time and the prominent people who called the city home.

In a state famous for secession and Old South ideals, Greenville stands as one of South Carolina's most precocious and complex communities. Settled in the inviting shadows of Paris Mountain along the Reedy River, both city and county struggle between the traditional values of a distinct Southern heritage and the progressive trends of a growing and diverse population. Throughout the mid-1800s to the late 1960s, Greenville embraced, even thrived, on this conflict, turning tension into opportunity and creating a remarkable society of savvy entrepreneurs, enlightened educators, talented writers, and triumphant athletes. In this volume of over 200 seldom-seen images, Greenville offers a fascinating glimpse at the people, the schools, and the businesses that dramatically transformed a Tory plantation into a sprawling metropolis. From the rustic portraits of mineral springs and mansion resorts to the snapshots of fast trolleys and overcrowded cantonments, this book highlights a special place that was home to Shoeless Joe Jackson and Jesse Jackson and played host to global notables, such as Albert Einstein and Ronald Reagan.

The creation of Lake Jocassee by Duke Power Company's massive Keowee-Toxaway Project in the late 1960s and early 1970s flooded a quaint mountain valley whose earliest recorded history was in 1539, when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto led an expedition through the present-day Jocassee Gorges.

In 1971, hundreds watched the slow retreat of the Whitewater, Thompson, Horsepasture, Toxaway, and Keowee Rivers as they formed one large lake, smothering homes, lands, and farms in the process. Years of monitoring the water flow through the valley proved initial estimates correct, and Lake Jocassee became the deepwater source it was intended to be, providing an adequate supply of water to generate electricity. Today, a new generation enjoys many recreational activities on what is known as the Jewel in South Carolina's Crown, a pristine lake surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains in Oconee and Pickens Counties.

Trace the development of Clinton from a tiny town in the 1800s though vintage photographs of everyday life there.

At the edge of the Piedmont region of South Carolina lies the small town of Clinton. A town built upon nurturing others, Clinton boasts a picturesque village and countryside inhabited by warm-hearted residents. Beginning as little more than an intersection of highways, Clinton has become the home to institutions such as the Thornwell Home for Children, Presbyterian College, and the Presbyterian Home. The small-town charm and quaint beauty that once attracted the town founders still permeates throughout. In this attractive volume of vintage photographs, readers will visit the Clinton of yesteryear, experiencing the area as it was when the earliest visitors and settlers came, including Christian followers of several denominations, railroad travelers en route between Laurens and Newberry, and historical figures such as William Plumer Jacobs, founder of both the orphanage and the college. Covering Clinton's history from its beginnings in the 1800s to its presence in the new millennium, this visual history touches upon aspects of everyday life, the remaining and the lost architectural treasures, and the social activities of the decades.

Step into the rich history and unique look of a bygone era in Pickens County, South Carolina through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

A paradise of breathtaking waterfalls, flawless vistas, and picturesque lakes, Pickens County enjoys a remarkable natural beauty along the stream-laced foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The county, named for early settler and Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens, was once part of the Old Pendleton District, a portion of the Palmetto State that also included Anderson and Oconee Counties, and like much of the Upstate, echoes its Cherokee heritage through local names such as Lake Keowee and the Cateechee community. This volume, containing over 200 black-and-white images, provides readers a unique opportunity to step back into the Pickens County of yesteryear, a time remembered for clay main streets, horse-drawn buggies, railroads, and early textile mills, gristmills, and sawmills. Covering the county's towns, such as Easley, Pickens, Liberty, and Central, Pickens County recounts the intriguing stories of hardships and accomplishments of the area's pioneering families and descendants, who have continued to shape the county without destroying the area's natural environment.

Known for its unique beauty and complex history, South Carolina's Lowcountry is one of the South's, and the country's, most fascinating regions. A wonderful blend of picturesque coastlines, expansive marshes, mysterious swamps, and verdant landscapes, the Lowcountry has played a vital role in our nation's history, from its importance as a port in colonial times, to its strategic location during the American Revolution, to its most famous landmark, Fort Sumter--the incendiary starting point of the Confederacy's struggle for secession. In this volume, you will explore this region as never before, through a rare collection of stereoscopic images. Also called stereoviews, these twin images were made by an early photographic technique which allowed the viewer to experience a vibrant and intriguing three-dimensional effect. South Carolina's Lowcountry has reproduced one side of each stereoscopic pair in order to facilitate an easier reading and viewing experience, which will allow you to take a visual journey through the defenses of Forts Sumter and Moultrie; to see both Confederate and Union soldiers posing in their camps, by cannon, and upon ironclads; to walk through the rubble of a war-torn Charleston and then observe the dramatic changes of the cityscapes in both the Holy City and Beaufort by the turn of the century; to stroll down a plantation's traditional avenue of live oaks under the peaceful sway of Spanish moss; and to meet a variety of Lowcountry inhabitants at their homes and at work.

In this volume of vintage, black-and-white photographs, readers are fortunate to experience a Laurens County of a different era. The rhythmic patter of horse hooves and squeak of wooden wagons meant people were hard at work, and the ringing of a bell called students to a one-room schoolhouse. The landscape encompassed patchworks of farms and bustling mill villages before the region found the conveniences of modern technology. Some of those who fashioned the area into its present state-where pride in culture and heritage stand at the forefront-take center stage in this pictorial history. Laurens County will spark the memories of those who lived its history while illustrating the tales with images for future generations.

Hurricane Michael may have taken away some of the landmarks, but these images reveal the history of Florida's Mexico Beach, once known as the Unforgettable Coast.    

As French interests in the Americas dwindled, records indicate very little activity around Mexico Beach until rumors of buried riches and sunken ships brought treasure hunters to the coast.  In the early 1900s, businessman Felix du Pont purchased the land known today as Mexico Beach. Resin to make turpentine was harvested from the native pine trees, and fishermen could not resist the migratory fish passing through the area's waters. By the 1930s, US Highway 98 was completed, and visitors could finally reach the sugar-soft sand beaches of the Unforgettable Coast. By 1941, Tyndall Field was constructed and became a training site for Air Force pilots. In 1946, a group of farsighted businessmen, led by Gordan Parker, W.T. McGowan, and J.W. Wainwright, purchased 1,850 acres along the beach for $65,000. Parker's son Charlie moved to the area in 1949 with his wife, Inky, and their family. He soon took over development responsibilities for the Mexico Beach Corporation and laid the groundwork for the beach town known and loved today. Charlie went on to become the city's first mayor and a lifelong advocate of the family-friendly community.

Great fortunes were once made on tiny Edisto Island, as nineteenth-century planters and their families farmed indigo and cotton.

Although the ancient, oak-shaded path to Edisto is now a highway, the trees overhead remain draped with lush Spanish moss, luring travelers to another era. Proud of their preservation of the island, residents here strive tomaintain a lifestyle that is close to nature andremoved from the hustle and bustle of city life. This remarkable new photographic history features over 200 vintage images, many never before seen by the public. With photographs of the founding planters and their families, homes, landscapes and beach views, and intimate views of everyday life on Edisto plantations, this book gives us a glimpse of what the ""island experience"" was like through the years.

The articles presented here are an excellent introduction to the history of one of the nation's most historic towns, from the Spanish explorers and early settlers to Revolutionary War battles and the area's unique architecture. Residents and visitors alike are sure to enjoy these delightful pages from Beaufort's past.

Murrells Inlet is a paradise as one of the few areas in the United States with access to both freshwater rivers and saltwater creeks.

The Atlantic Ocean is on its east and the Waccamaw River is on its west. From its early beginnings as rice and indigo plantations to the rapid growth that began in the 1970s, Murrells Inlet has prospered because of its rich natural resources that natives and visitors enjoy. The saltwater creeks provided nourishment, entertainment, and a nursery to the creek rats, fishermen, families, and captains who ventured out to the muddy banks.  

This South Carolina island, which once flourished and folded under the bondage of slavery, is now a place where all races live and celebrate its rich heritage.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces at Fort Johnson fired upon Federal-occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, etching James Island’s name in American history as the starting place of the War Between the States. Before the island was a battleground for war skirmishes, antebellum plantations lay nestled between the thickets of live oaks; fertile soil yielded sea island cotton that required the labor of thousands of enslaved people, and a rural planting community existed in the shadow of nearby Charleston. More than this, though, James Island was and is a beloved home to generations of proud families and individuals. The Gullah culture and language, derived from the original West Africans brought in bondage to the Carolina coast, thrive and are treasured here, and James Island is a beautiful community welcoming to everyone.

Images of America: Belton captures the city's growth from a railroad depot and mill town to today's wealthy suburb of Anderson and home to the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame and the Palmetto Championships, the state's junior qualifying tennis tournament. The community's vitality is depicted through historic images of the standpipe, a water tower built in 1909 that symbolizes Belton today; the depot and railroad scenes; church life; town progress; schools; community events and celebrations; and prominent residents.

This title from Charles Spencer recounts the history of Edisto Island from the Civil War to present day.

The Civil War hit Edisto Island hard. Between the mandated evacuation, Union occupation and the eventual emancipation of the slaves, the cotton plantation economy that had sustained the island fell to ruin. But this phoenix was to rise from the ashes of war to become one of the premier destinations for fun and sun on the South Carolina coast. Charles Spencer, in his second volume of Edisto history, recounts the events of the Civil War, the struggles of Reconstruction, the effects of the new freedman class and the island's rebirth as a favorite vacation spot and modern community in the twentieth century. Each chapter offers an enjoyable excursion into the past and a detailed look at the remarkable history of Edisto.

Discover the history of an era lost to generations in this collection of personal stories by author and Hilton Head resident Fran Heyward Marscher.

In the hundred years separating the Civil War and the 1950s, the Lowcountry was a world unto itself. The big plantations were gone, and for those remaining life had to be wrenched from the soil and the creeks. But for some, these isolated barrier islands offered heaven on earth: virgin maritime forest, pristine saltwater, sand roads and plentiful wild game. This fascinating collection of stories speaks to us of life in a simpler time, of raising hogs, guineas and children on abandoned plantations; growing sweet potatoes, okra and sugar cane; trapping mink and picking oysters; pulling 12-pound flounder and 79-pound drum from the creeks; making feasts of Loggerhead turtle eggs, crab and conch meat; picking musk; and taking the steamer to Savannah to see the ""big city"" lights. Our narrators were born between 1881 and 1941, and, though their stories overlap and intertwine, each has a unique perspective on life in the Lowcountry. Author Fran Heyward Marscher, a Hilton Head journalist, grew up hearing these precious memories and sought out the storytellers when she realized that the way of life they described was in danger of dying out with each generation. Our narrators were born between 1881 and 1941, and, though their stories overlap and intertwine, each has a unique perspective on life in the Lowcountry. Author Fran Heyward Marscher, a Hilton Head journalist, grew up hearing these precious memories and sought out the storytellers when she realized that the way of life they described was in danger of dying out with each generation.

Beaufort, South Carolina, the Palmetto State's second-oldest town, is a paradigm of the Lowcountry and well worth a visit in this pictorial history.

As one of the oldest settlements in North America, Beaufort can trace its root deep into the rich history of the New World. This charming city beneath moss-draped oaks has a heritage that is as diverse as it is longstanding. This comprehensive look into Beaufort's past reveals a wide-ranging set of influences that helped to shape the island city's development. From the landing of Spanish sailors in 1514 to the influx of present-day sun-seekers, Beaufort has played host to a variety of inhabitants that have each added a distinct element to its captivating milieu. Author Alexia Jones Helsley calls upon a lifetime of experience as one of South Carolina's premier archivists and historians to illuminate all aspects of Beaufort's history. A native of old Beaufort and an accomplished genealogist, Helsley uses elegant, thoughtful prose to convey the duality of this Lowcountry jewel, from sparkling tides and majestic homes to hurricanes and hidden slave quarters. This vital text is unmatched in its ability to bring to life the fascinating story of a city nearly 500 years in the making.

Join author Dr. Rick Simmons as he recalls the hidden history and legends of The Grand Strand in South Carolina.

Though today South Carolina's Grand Strand is known primarily for tourism, Hidden History of the Grand Strand examines the area's often-overlooked stories spanning more than five hundred years, from the lost Spanish flagship Capitana in 1526 to the German U-boats that reportedly roamed the Intracoastal Waterway with the help of local collaborators during World War II. Along the way, learn about the hidden history of the now-vanished villages of La Grange and Lafayette, the great canal on North Island and the wrecks of the Freeda A. Wyley, the USS Harvest Moon and the City of Richmond, as well as the real stories behind the legends of Old Gunn Church, the illegal casino at the Ocean Forest Hotel, the U-boat pens on the Waccamaw River and Drunken Jack Island. This work presents a unique look at the area, its history and the legends that enthrall visitors to this day.

In this engaging volume, local historian Douglas Bostick reveals the unacknowledged history of the second community in South Carolina, settled in 1671.

Whether investigating prehistoric clues about Native American life before European settlement, detailing the history of agriculture and the reign of King Cotton, following armies from multiple wars or chronicling the triumph of equality on the greens of Charleston's Municipal Golf Course, Bostick tells the story of James Island as only a native son can. Join Bostick as he brings this small jewel of an island out of Charleston's shadow and into the light of its own rich, historic assets.

In 1684, when Carolina was still a new colony, the city of Charleston lacked civilization--no churches, no marketplaces, no religion or trade. A group of settlers (known then as blackguards or ruffians, and among them Harry Calvert, privateer and proud hero of our tale) struggled to build and protect a civilization, a community that would grow to become one of the most loved in the South.

Scarcely available since its publication before the Civil War, The Cassique of Kiawah has been touted as "a lost masterpiece," and "one of the great works of American literature." Another critic described the novel as "a delightful novel of manners, and a realistic depiction of the early evolution of a society."

Explore the fascinating history of Hopkins, South Carolina with more than 200 vintage photographs and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

Hopkins was named for John Hopkins, a Virginian who obtained a royal land grant in 1764. The town was originally Hopkins Turnout, as the railroad had a turntable here before the line to Columbia was completed.

Trains ran from Charleston to Hopkins, and passengers continued to Columbia by stagecoach. Hopkins is home to the Congaree Swamp, originally inhabited by the Congaree tribe; they were reduced greatly by smallpox, but the area retained their name. Now a national monument, this biosphere boasts one of the most diverse forest communities in the country. Hopkins is also home to structures on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Harriet Barber House(c. 1880), the Hopkins Presbyterian Church(c. 1891), and the remains of the Hicks Chappell House(c. 1781), which burned in 2008.

Author Ann Drayton Lister, a Hopkins native and a member of the Upcountry History Museum's History Makers, Presbyterian College's Young Alumni Board, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Columbia Museum of Art, and the Greenville Museum of Artpublished this book in order to preserve Hopkins's history through the local families who generously shared their memories and photographs with her.

Located in South Carolina's Lowcountry, Clarendon County's history is as rich as its Southern flavor. Perfect for South Carolina history enthusiasts.

Clarendon County exists as a paradigm of Southern communities.Lake Marionrests against the Clarendon County's southern border, while cypress trees, whose limbs are decorated with Spanish Moss, flourish in the swampy lowlands. Wildlife abounds, making this a paradise for hunters and fishermen. Many know that while furthering America's cause for independence, Francis Marion fought in the area now called Clarendon and earned his nickname Swamp Fox. Five Palmetto Stategovernors, all members of Richardson and Manning families, came from the county, and the first South Carolinian crowned Miss Americawas a Clarendon native.

Still, Clarendon residents have shared in America's hardships, too; for within the confines of this small, rural community, they have found themselves time and again confronted with America's battles. Not only did residents fight in the Revolutionary Warand the War Between the States, but they also fought an important portion of the Civil Rights Movementhere.

Marguirite De Laine, F.S. Corbett, and Cecil J. Williams invite the reader to explore this celebration of Clarendon County's singular history and pays tribute to the residents who defined and developed this agrarian community. They have combined almost 200 vintage images with an educational story that both longtime residents and newcomers, young and old, are sure to enjoy.

Amid the devastation left in South Carolina by the War Between the States, one of the few intact remnants of the pre-war life was a tiny cotton textile industry. For decades prior to the Civil War, the upstate textile industry rested unobtrusively near Greenville, its center of production, surrounded by former plantation fields of cotton. Now, when its state needed it the most, the textile industry, empowered by the vision of Greenville's Henry P. Hammett, rallied for its critical role in the resurrection of the Palmetto State's economy.

Building upon the state's position as a major cotton grower, savvy entrepreneurs of the "New South" jumped at the chance to take cotton production from plantation fields to factories, which eventually became a large-scale industry. Greenville's Piedmont Manufacturing Company set the pace and became one of the chief models for southern mill builders for a half century. With the mill companies leading the way, allied industries and agencies rapidly expanded into the county, already known as the Textile Center of the South by 1914. Further textile development combined with the permanent addition of a world-class trade show earned the city the title of "Textile Center of the World" - a name brandished proudly by the citizens of Greenville during the 1960s.

Able to weather two world wars, the Great Depression and one of the bloodiest strikes in textile history, Greenville's textile heyday waned after 1970 in the wake of an influx of foreign imports. The impact of the industry on Greenville and South Carolina is hard to overestimate; many mills still stand, and street names honor past mill owners, builders and

This fascinating new history of the Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester tri-county area showcases more than two hundred of the best postcards available of this region of South Carolina.

From the 1890s through the 1930s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced were works of art. Postcard photographers travelled the length and breadth of the nation snapping busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history.

Now, author and journalist Fran Marscher has captured these rich, vibrant stories for all to enjoy.

Remembering the Way it Was at Beaufort, Sheldon and the Sea Islands is a collection of these priceless oral histories, which offer a glimpse of simpler times and unspoiled landscapes that cannot be found anywhere else. In their own words, the residents of old Beaufort County reveal a time when turnips and scrawny chickens substituted for legal fees among some of the clients of Grace White, the county's first female attorney; when Henry Chambers' "Aunt Henrietta"--rumored locally to be the richest woman in the world, and an Italian princess to boot--stunned everyone when she brought her magnificent yacht right up the Beaufort River. And much, much more.

In this follow-up volume, Mark R. Jones uncovers the seedy and wicked past of Charleston: Prostitutes, Politics and Prohibition.

The city of Charleston, South Carolina, with its matchless Southern charm, has sparkled gem-like on the Carolina coast for more than three hundred years. The Holy City, as it is known, has been a cherished home to generations and an inviting destination for visitors from all over the world, who come to tour its celebrated historic sites and to bask in both the warm sun and the famous Southern hospitality. But below the gleaming surface of Charleston, there has always been a darker side—a second history that has been hidden and denied by those who retell the city's story, and by those who have lived it. Charleston has played host to a wide variety of unsavory characters, and has seen scores of sordid deeds played out on its cobbled streets, beneath flickering gaslights. Wicked Charleston, Volume 2: Prostitutes, Politics and Prohibition is a captivating companion to Mark Jones's hugely popular Wicked Charleston. In this new book, Jones reveals more of the city's seedy history—from drinking and prostitution to murder and crooked politics—offering a rarely seen glimpse of a sinister side of Charleston's past.

A once-thriving economy, Wadmalaw Island boasted cotton, indigo, and rice plantations, but even after hardship, Wadmalaw has remained a timeless representation of a bygone era.

Wadmalaw wasn't home to just plantations, but also the town of Rockville, a quaint, seaside retreat for the local planters. Lowcountry architecture was seen throughout the island in the designs of the plantation and summer vacation homes, and it became a favored holiday spot for the wealthy elite. Time and events did not leave the island unscathed though, and Wadmalaw fell victim to war and financial hardship as did the rest of the South after the Civil War. Wadmalaw weathered the harsh conditions and was able to continue its sleepy way of life into the 20th century. Rockville also became home to the well-known Rockville Regatta that brings thousands of visitors to the island every year. Despite surrounding growth that has threatened it, Wadmalaw has continued to maintain its unique noncommercial air and retains the agricultural focus on which it was founded.

Born of the Industrial Revolution, Easley started with a single rail line brought to the area by Robert Elliott Holcombe at the end of the Civil War, along with his promise to build and donate the first depot.

That single line expanded, and cotton rolled in, spawning the thriving textile industry prominent in so many small Southern towns. If it was industry that gave birth to Easley, it was its perfect location amidst the breathtaking beauty in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a feeling more akin to family than community that gave the town life. Minutes from gorgeous mountain vistas and lakes, a few minutes more from larger cities, and a day's ride from the coast made Easley a perfect place to live, work, worship, and play year-round.

Uncover the past in this unique look at the history of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina through the lens of over 200 vintage images.

The Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile. Edgar Allan Poe's terse description, from his story The Gold Bug, is essentially as true today as when it was written. Others, before and after Poe, have been captivated by the Island. For a long time, Sullivan's Island was the only Charleston-area beach resort, and its importance in the nation's history gave it a special significance. From the Battle of Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) came the inspiration for the state flag and for the arms of the Great Seal of State. The unique architectural heritage of Sullivan's Island evolved out of this historical background. A visiting New York architect in the 1970s said, This Island has the greatest assortment of styles and periods of architecture ever put together in one small area. However, an 1872 observer more accurately called the style of architecture multifarious. He noted, Everybody who builds follows his own ideas-in most cases comfort is consulted-and the resort is a varied collection of cottages and summer villas of every conceivable description.

Hidden History of Hilton Head offers a lively array of historical tidbits and tales, focusing on people, lifeways, believe-it-or-not snippets and beloved local places.

Discover the ties that Harriet Tubman and Clara Barton had to the region and learn about the lives of oyster shuckers, root doctors, debauched Jack-ashores and many other characters in the island's rich history. From beautiful poems written by renowned locals to the songs that guided the slaves to freedom and time-tested regional recipes, author Alice Sink's collection truly encompasses the spirit of the Lowcountry.