Hunting Island is the largest of a cluster of barrier islands that once served as hunting preserves of wealthy planter families. The 4-mile-long island now is a state park, with marsh along the west side, Atlantic Ocean on the east, and dense maritime forest in between. The forest is made of yucca, palmetto, pine and wild magnolia. Near the north end of the island is a lighthouse, while the south end is home to a nature center and fishing pier. This is our destination for a few days of R&R.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
HUNTING ISLAND STATE PARK April 1- 4, 2008
Hunting Island is the largest of a cluster of barrier islands that once served as hunting preserves of wealthy planter families. The 4-mile-long island now is a state park, with marsh along the west side, Atlantic Ocean on the east, and dense maritime forest in between. The forest is made of yucca, palmetto, pine and wild magnolia. Near the north end of the island is a lighthouse, while the south end is home to a nature center and fishing pier. This is our destination for a few days of R&R.
Tuesday, April 1:
We left home right after breakfast and headed to the Pilot Truck Stop to get the RV weighed while it was fully loaded. We can now stop worrying about the van being overweight – we’re way under the max cargo carrying capacity for this unit.
We headed out US 321 and stopped at Pen Branch Church near North, SC, for Marg to check out tombstones at the cemetery there. We recorded pertinent information about assorted relatives and headed on toward the coast. At Bamberg, we cut across on US 78 to pick up US 21 South. As we reached Beaufort County, we made several stops.
First was Yemassee, a crossroads town that was named for the Indian tribe that once dominated this area. These days, the hottest action in town is at Harold’s Country Club. Harold’s started in the early 1970s when a local gas station owner wanted to increase his income – he decided to open a restaurant in the service bays. On weekends, he cleared out the cars being repaired, scrubbed the floors, and set up tables. Today the gas pumps are still busy, but the service bays are gone (except for the faint odor of axle grease and motor oil). The décor today is somewhere between a redneck hunting cabin and a 1930’s era gas station. Harold’s is only open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, so we were out of luck.
Next stop was Old Sheldon Church Ruins, where we had a picnic lunch. Sheldon Church was built between 1744 and 1757 of ballast bricks brought from England. It was burned by the British in 1779, rebuilt in 1826, and burned again by Sherman’s troops in 1865.
Although never rebuilt after the Civil War, the ruins are impressive – graceful brick columns, walls three and a half feet thick, and huge door and window arches. Buried in the churchyard are members of the Bull, Middleton, and Heyward families.
Live in the church yard was a snake climbing one of the old oak trees. Brother Dan later identified it as a green rat snake.
Just north of Sheldon Church is Tomotley Plantation, which has been around since 1698. Sherman saw fit to burn the home in 1865, but he didn’t destroy its fine oak allee΄. The sandy lane leading to the plantation house is shaded on both sides by huge spreading live oaks draped with Spanish moss.
Near the community of Gardens Corner, we paused at the entrance to Clarendon Plantation, which dates back to 1780. Its oak lane can’t quite compare to Tomotley, but the wrought iron gates do make a pretty impressive entrance.
We bypassed Beaufort (for now) and headed on out to St. Helena Island, which is home to the largest population of the unique culture known as Gullah. After the Civil War, many newly freed slaves sought safe havens where they could grow crops, fish and live in peace. Isolated from the outside world, they developed customs and a language all their own. Most of these inhabitants trace their roots to the villages of Sierra Leone in West Africa. This heritage is seen in the rice culture, cast-net fishing and basketry of the lowcountry.
In the center of St. Helena Island is Frogmore, the self-proclaimed witchcraft capital of the world. Witch doctors have practiced their irregular medicine in this area for generations. Frogmore is also the birthplace of Frogmore Stew, a combination of shrimp, sausage, and corn on the cob boiled in beer.
Frogmore has some interesting shops. “What’s in Store” has a little bit of everything from clothes to food to home furnishings. Even better was the "Red Piano Too" – an art gallery housing an amazing array of works by local artists. The building was for years a big grocery store – a high-ceiling wood structure that exhibits and sells African-American artwork.
The Penn Center was opened in 1862 as a school for freed slaves. The two original teachers, who came from Philadelphia, stayed for 40 years. During the 1960’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., met here with other black leaders to plan their 1963 march on Washington and their 1965 march on Selma, Alabama. Over the years, the Center’s mission has changed – today its focus is on preservation of the Gullah culture.
Also on the grounds of Penn Center is the Brick Baptist Church, built in 1855. At that time, the local planters worshipped in pews on the ground floor, while their slaves had to climb the steep stairway to the balcony. After the Civil War, the church was used by students at the Penn School. Today, it serves the entire community and is known by all as the Brick Church.
St. Helena’s Chapel of Ease was built in the 1740s to serve the planters on neighboring islands. It was burned in 1886. The ruins, of tabby and brick, sit among moss-laden live oaks.
We left Frogmore and headed to the Shrimp Shack, all ready for an early dinner. Unfortunately, the place is only open at lunch this time of year – we’ll be back!
We drove on over to Hunting Island and got settled into the campground at the state park. We had time for nice walk on the beach and a stroll around the huge campground before dinner. We even met a couple of the resident white-tail deer.
We headed out US 321 and stopped at Pen Branch Church near North, SC, for Marg to check out tombstones at the cemetery there. We recorded pertinent information about assorted relatives and headed on toward the coast. At Bamberg, we cut across on US 78 to pick up US 21 South. As we reached Beaufort County, we made several stops.
First was Yemassee, a crossroads town that was named for the Indian tribe that once dominated this area. These days, the hottest action in town is at Harold’s Country Club. Harold’s started in the early 1970s when a local gas station owner wanted to increase his income – he decided to open a restaurant in the service bays. On weekends, he cleared out the cars being repaired, scrubbed the floors, and set up tables. Today the gas pumps are still busy, but the service bays are gone (except for the faint odor of axle grease and motor oil). The décor today is somewhere between a redneck hunting cabin and a 1930’s era gas station. Harold’s is only open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, so we were out of luck.Next stop was Old Sheldon Church Ruins, where we had a picnic lunch. Sheldon Church was built between 1744 and 1757 of ballast bricks brought from England. It was burned by the British in 1779, rebuilt in 1826, and burned again by Sherman’s troops in 1865.
Although never rebuilt after the Civil War, the ruins are impressive – graceful brick columns, walls three and a half feet thick, and huge door and window arches. Buried in the churchyard are members of the Bull, Middleton, and Heyward families.
Live in the church yard was a snake climbing one of the old oak trees. Brother Dan later identified it as a green rat snake.
Just north of Sheldon Church is Tomotley Plantation, which has been around since 1698. Sherman saw fit to burn the home in 1865, but he didn’t destroy its fine oak allee΄. The sandy lane leading to the plantation house is shaded on both sides by huge spreading live oaks draped with Spanish moss.
Near the community of Gardens Corner, we paused at the entrance to Clarendon Plantation, which dates back to 1780. Its oak lane can’t quite compare to Tomotley, but the wrought iron gates do make a pretty impressive entrance.
We bypassed Beaufort (for now) and headed on out to St. Helena Island, which is home to the largest population of the unique culture known as Gullah. After the Civil War, many newly freed slaves sought safe havens where they could grow crops, fish and live in peace. Isolated from the outside world, they developed customs and a language all their own. Most of these inhabitants trace their roots to the villages of Sierra Leone in West Africa. This heritage is seen in the rice culture, cast-net fishing and basketry of the lowcountry.
In the center of St. Helena Island is Frogmore, the self-proclaimed witchcraft capital of the world. Witch doctors have practiced their irregular medicine in this area for generations. Frogmore is also the birthplace of Frogmore Stew, a combination of shrimp, sausage, and corn on the cob boiled in beer.
Frogmore has some interesting shops. “What’s in Store” has a little bit of everything from clothes to food to home furnishings. Even better was the "Red Piano Too" – an art gallery housing an amazing array of works by local artists. The building was for years a big grocery store – a high-ceiling wood structure that exhibits and sells African-American artwork.
The Penn Center was opened in 1862 as a school for freed slaves. The two original teachers, who came from Philadelphia, stayed for 40 years. During the 1960’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., met here with other black leaders to plan their 1963 march on Washington and their 1965 march on Selma, Alabama. Over the years, the Center’s mission has changed – today its focus is on preservation of the Gullah culture.
Also on the grounds of Penn Center is the Brick Baptist Church, built in 1855. At that time, the local planters worshipped in pews on the ground floor, while their slaves had to climb the steep stairway to the balcony. After the Civil War, the church was used by students at the Penn School. Today, it serves the entire community and is known by all as the Brick Church.St. Helena’s Chapel of Ease was built in the 1740s to serve the planters on neighboring islands. It was burned in 1886. The ruins, of tabby and brick, sit among moss-laden live oaks.
We left Frogmore and headed to the Shrimp Shack, all ready for an early dinner. Unfortunately, the place is only open at lunch this time of year – we’ll be back!
We drove on over to Hunting Island and got settled into the campground at the state park. We had time for nice walk on the beach and a stroll around the huge campground before dinner. We even met a couple of the resident white-tail deer.Wednesday, April 2:
After breakfast today, we went over the to Lighthouse area. Here we learned that the original lighthouse was built in 1859 as a brick structure that was destroyed by beach erosion in the late 1860’s. In 1875, the US Coast Guard relocated the lighthouse approximately a quarter mile from the shoreline. The next structure was made of cast iron plates that could be taken apart and re-assembled if relocation became necessary again. The complex included the light-keeper’s dwelling, as well several storage buildings.
By 1889, mother nature had her way again, cutting away part of the northern end of the island and requiring relocation of the lighthouse and the other buildings to their present location, one and a quarter miles southeast of the old site.We climbed the lighthouse – all 181 steps up a spiral staircase. Nice views from the top.
We also hiked the Lighthouse Nature Trail. This trail once connected the campground and the lighthouse, but today the trail goes only 3/10 mile through the forest before it ends abruptly at the beach.Here is dramatic demonstration of beach erosion in high gear. The mature maritime forest is being overtaken by the sea, one tree at a time. On average, about 15 feet of beach is lost each year; records of the lighthouse keeper show 400 feet of erosion in one year.
We made a short stop at the visitor center, where there are exhibits and a movie about the history of the island.
And then – time for a shrimpburger. We drove out to the Shrimp Shack and dined in style – on wooden benches on the screened-in porch. Delicious!
We also checked fresh shrimp prices at Gay Fish Incorporated and checked out some of the shrimp boats docked at the pier here. And then it was back to Hunting Island to complete our exploration of the southern end of the island.We stopped at the Marsh Boardwalk, which extends nearly ½ mile into the marsh – from the main road all the way to the creek that separates Hunting Island from nearby Saint Helena Island. The boardwalk passes through several high spots (or hummocks) as seen in the first photo.
We went all the way to the far end of the island to check out the Paradise Fishing Pier, said to be the longest free-standing fishing pier on the east coast. It extends 1,120 feet into Fripp Inlet and offers nice views of big houses across the water.
And finally, we walked a 2-mile loop of the islands interior trails. The first mile was along the lagoon, where we saw an osprey nest. The return trip was through the forest.
Time for a rest – we headed back to the campground to watch the cold front roll in. The temperature dropped quickly and the wind whistled – all night long.
Thursday, April 3:
We woke to rain and wind – good time to sleep late and catch up on reading. We were just plain lazy til midday, when we headed to the beach. We walked all the way to the north end of the island, arriving just after low tide. It looked like we almost could walk over to Harbor Island, but this wasn’t the day to find out. Shelling wasn’t great, though we found a few sand dollars and a big horseshoe crab. 
We walked around the campground again, noting good campsites for future reference. Back at our place, we built a campfire and had supper there – headed to bed smelling of wood smoke.
We walked around the campground again, noting good campsites for future reference. Back at our place, we built a campfire and had supper there – headed to bed smelling of wood smoke.Friday, April 4:
On the way back to civilization, we ventured off on a delightful old road to Coffin Point Plantation. It was like driving back in time. At the end of the oak allee', the plantation house is a striking three-story whip clapboard mansion, built on a tabby foundation and sporting a red tin roof. It commands a sweeping view of the ocean, the sky, and Edisto Island in the distance. It was built between 1780 and 1800. During the Civil War, the plantation was used by the men and women who came to St. Helena Island to teach at the Penn School.
There’s a nice waterfront park along the Beaufort River. It’s in the center of the business district and attracts some pretty impressive yachts stopping for a visit. We had lunch here and then headed back home.
We stopped in Beaufort for a walk-around. Beaufort is a picturesque old port town, which still retains the atmosphere of an earlier time. It has many pre-Revolutionary War and antebellum houses surrounded by quiet gardens, situated on narrow oak-canopied streets.
Established by charter from the Lords Proprietors in 1711, Beaufort is the second oldest town in the state. Its history dates back to Spanish exploration in 1520 and attempted settlements by French Huguenots in 1562.
Established by charter from the Lords Proprietors in 1711, Beaufort is the second oldest town in the state. Its history dates back to Spanish exploration in 1520 and attempted settlements by French Huguenots in 1562.
There’s a nice waterfront park along the Beaufort River. It’s in the center of the business district and attracts some pretty impressive yachts stopping for a visit. We had lunch here and then headed back home.
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