Whether you’re new to the South Carolina coast or have been vacationing here for years, there are some facts about the area that you may find interesting… and perhaps surprising.
Kiawah Island Name
Kiawah Island is named for the Kiawah people who inhabited the islands in the 17th century. The Cusabo tribe was friendly farmers who lived in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
The Island's Original Owners
The Island was eventually ceded to English colonists and was privately owned by the Vanderhorst family for about 200 years. In 1951, lumberman C.C. Royal bought the island for $125,000. Twenty-three years, his heirs sold the property to a resort developer for $18.2 million. The rest, as they say, is history.
Angel Oak
Angel Oak on John’s Island is thought to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. It’s believed to be more than 400 to 500 years old. Its size at 65 feet tall with a canopy of 28 feet in circumference have it described as “fairytale-esque.” It sits on land owned by the City of Charleston.
Frogmore Stew
If you’re offered Frogmore stew, don’t freak out. It’s a traditional Lowcountry dish that doesn’t use frogs. It’s not even a stew. It’s what some may call a shrimp boil, a mouth-watering, one-pot dish combining shrimp, new potatoes, corn on the cob and sausage. And it’s delicious.
Morgan Island
Morgan Island, located south of Seabrook Island, is home to a free-ranging colony of about 3,500 rhesus macaque monkeys. The colony was shipped from a Puerto Rico primate research center to Morgan Island, which is now owned by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Unfortunately, you can’t visit the island. But it’s fun to know they’re out there, right?
Fort Moultrie
Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island played an important role in the Revolutionary War, though it was still incomplete at the time nine British Man-of-War ships attacked in 1776. But, here’s the interesting trivia: The walls of the fort were made of Palmetto logs, which were great for protecting troops. Since they were so spongy they absorbed and repelled the British cannonballs.
Edgar Allen Poe
Another interesting bit of trivia about Fort Moultrie: Writer Edgar Allen Poe was stationed there between 1827 and 1828. Later he wrote a short story, “The Gold Bug,” about his time at the fort and on Sullivan’s Island.
Wadmalaw Island
Wadmalaw Island, just about 30 miles from Kiawah Island, is home to America’s only commercial tea plantation, Charleston Tea Plantation. Admission is free, though there is a charge for the trolley tour.
Pirate Trading
Seabrook Island dates to pre-Colonial times with links to a man who traded with pirates. Robert Seabrook purchased the island in 1697 and grew cotton there. As the area grew, it became a popular target of pirates. Seabrook, a businessman and politician, was fined for selling provisions, arms and munitions to pirates.
Famous Pirates
And speaking of pirates, some of the most notorious of their day sailed off the South Carolina coast, including Blackbeard, Stede Bonnet, Charles Vane, Christopher Moody, Richard Worley, and Anne Bonney, who was from Charleston.