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.
1 comment:
very nice
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