by Jim Morekis
To get to the Penn Center from Beaufort (about 10 miles), proceed over the bridge until you get to St. Helena Island. Take a right onto MLK Jr. Drive when you see the Red Piano Too Art Gallery. The Penn Center is a few hundred yards down on your right. If you drive past the Penn Center and continue a few hundred yards down MLK Jr. Drive, look for the ancient tabby ruins on the left side of the road. This is the Chapel of Ease, the remnant of a 1740 church destroyed by forest fire in the late 1800s.
The Lost Art of Tabby
Let’s clear up a couple of misconceptions about tabby, that unique construction technique combining oyster shells, lime, water, and sand found along the South Carolina and Georgia coast.
First, it did not originate with Native Americans. The confusion is due to the fact that the native population left behind many middens, or trash heaps, of oyster shells. While these middens indeed provided the bulk of the shells for tabby buildings to come, Native Americans had little else to do with it.
Second, although the Spanish were responsible for the first use of tabby in the Americas, contrary to lore almost all remaining tabby in the area dates from later English settlement. The British first fell in love with tabby after the siege of Spanish-held St. Augustine, Florida, and quickly began building with it in their colonies to the north.
Scholars are divided as to whether tabby was invented by West Africans or its use spread to Africa from Spain and Portugal, circuitously coming to the United States through the knowledge of imported slaves. The origin of the word itself is also unclear, as similar words exist in Spanish, Portuguese, Gullah, and Arabic to describe various types of wall.
We do know for sure how tabby is made: The primary technique was to burn alternating layers of oyster shells and logs in a deep hole in the ground, thus creating lime. The lime was then mixed with oyster shells, sand, and freshwater and poured into wooden molds, or “forms,” to dry and then be used as building blocks, much like large bricks. Tabby walls were usually plastered with stucco. Tabby is remarkably strong and resilient, able to survive the hurricanes that often batter the area. It also stays cool in the summer and is insect-resistant, two enormous advantages down here.
Following are some great examples of true tabby you can see today on the South Carolina and Georgia coasts, from north to south:
• Dorchester State Historic Site in Summerville, north of Charleston, contains a well-preserved tabby fort.
• Several younger tabby buildings still exist in downtown Beaufort: the Barnwell-Gough House (705 Washington St.); the Thomas Fuller House, or “Tabby Manse” (1211 Bay St.); and the Saltus House (800 block of Bay St.), perhaps the tallest surviving tabby structure.
• The Chapel of Ease on St. Helena Island dates from the 1740s. If someone tells you Sherman burned it down, don’t believe it; the culprit was a forest fire.
• The Stoney-Baynard Ruins in Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head are all that’s left of the home of the old Braddock’s Point Plantation. Foundations of a slave quarters are nearby.
• Wormsloe Plantation near Savannah has the remains of Noble Jones’s fortification on the Skidaway Narrows.
• St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in Darien is one of the largest tabby structures still in use.
• Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island has not only the remains of a tabby fort but many foundations of tabby houses in the surrounding settlement.
• The remarkably intact walls of the Horton-DuBignon House on Jekyll Island, Georgia, date from 1738, and the house was occupied into the 1850s.
Fort Fremont Preserve
Military historians and sightseers of a particularly adventurous type will want to drive several miles past the Penn Center on St. Helena Island to visit Fort Fremont Preserve (Lands End Rd., www.fortfremont.org, daily 9am-dusk, free). Two artillery batteries remain of this Spanish-American War-era coastal defense fort (an adjacent private residence is actually the old army hospital). The big guns are long gone, but the concrete emplacements—along with many very dark tunnels and small rooms—are still here. Bring a flashlight and be warned that there are no facilities of any kind, including lights and guardrails.
Fort Fremont Preserve
Old Sheldon Church Ruins
About 20 minutes north of Beaufort are the poignantly desolate ruins of the once-magnificent Old Sheldon Church (Old Sheldon Church Rd., off U.S. 17 just past Gardens Corner, daily dawn-dusk, free). One of the first Greek Revival structures in the United States, the house of worship held its first service in 1757. The sanctuary was first burned by the British in 1779. After being rebuilt in 1826, the sanctuary survived until General Sherman’s arrival in 1865, whereupon Union troops razed it once more. Nothing remains now but these towering walls and columns, made of red brick instead of the tabby often seen in similar ruins on the coast. It’s now owned by the nearby St. Helena’s Episcopal Church in Beaufort, which holds outdoor services here the second Sunday after Easter.
Old Sheldon Church ruins
Oyotunji Village
Continuing north of the Sheldon Church a short way, the more adventurous can find a quirky Lowcountry attraction, Oyotunji Village (56 Bryant Ln., 843/846-8900, www.oyotunji.org, daily 11am-dusk, $10). Built in 1970 by self-proclaimed “King” Ofuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I, a former used car dealer with an interesting past, Oyotunji claims to be North America’s only authentic African village, and also claims to be a separate kingdom and not a part of the United States—though I’m sure the State Department begs to differ. Take U.S. 17 north out of Beaufort; about 25 minutes later Oyotunji Village will be on your right.
Port Royal
This sleepy hamlet between Beaufort and Parris Island touts itself as a leader in “small-town New Urbanism,” with an emphasis on livability, retro-themed shopping areas, and relaxing walking trails. However, Port Royal is still pretty sleepy—but not without very real charms, not the least of which is the fact that everything is within easy walking distance of everything else. The highlight of the year is the annual Softshell Crab Festival, held each April to mark the short-lived harvesting season for that favorite crustacean.
the boardwalk at Port Royal
While much of the tiny historic district has a scrubbed, tidy feel, the main historic structure is the charming little Union Church (11th St., 843/524-4333, Mon.-Fri. 10am-4pm, donation), one of the oldest buildings in town, with guided docent tours.
Don’t miss the boardwalk and observation tower at The Sands municipal beach and boat ramp. The 50-foot-tall structure provides a commanding view of Battery Creek. To get to The Sands, head east onto 7th Street off the main drag of Parris Avenue. Seventh Street turns into Sands Beach Road for a brief stretch and then merges with 6th Street, taking you directly to The Sands.
Another environmentally oriented point of pride is the Lowcountry Estuarium (1402 Paris Ave., 843/524-6600, www.lowcountryestuarium.org, Wed.-Sat. 10am-5pm, feedings 11:30am and 3pm, $5 adults, $3 children). The point of the facility is to give hands-on opportunities to learn more about the flora and fauna of the various ecosystems of the Lowcountry, such as salt marshes, beaches, and estuaries.
If you get hungry in Port Royal, try the waterfront seafood haven 11th Street Dockside (1699 11th St., 843/524-7433, daily 4:30pm-10pm, $17-27). The Dockside Dinner is a great sampler plate with lobster tail, scallops, crab legs, and shrimp. The views of the waterfront and the adjoining shrimp-boat docks are relaxing and beautiful.
To get to Port Royal, take Ribault (pronounced “REE-bo”) Road south out of Beaufort, then turn left onto Parris Avenue, which takes you directly into downtown Port Royal for a total drive of about 10 minutes.
Parris Island
Though more commonly known as the home of the legendary Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island (283 Blvd. de France, 843/228-3650, www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil, free), the island is also of historical significance as the site of some of the earliest European presence in the New World. Today it’s where all female U.S. Marine recruits and all m
ale recruits east of the Mississippi River go through the grueling 13-week boot camp. Almost every Friday during the year marks the graduation of a company of newly minted Marines. That’s why you might notice an influx of visitors to the area each Thursday, a.k.a. “Family Day,” with the requisite amount of celebration on Friday after that morning’s ceremony.
Unlike many military facilities, Parris Island still hosts plenty of visitors. Just check in with the sentry at the gate and show your valid driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance. Rental car drivers must show a copy of the rental agreement. On your way to the depot proper, there are a couple of beautiful picnic areas. Once inside, stop first at the Douglas Visitor Center (Bldg. 283, Blvd. de France, 843/228-3650, Mon. 7:30am-noon, Tues.-Wed. 7:30am-4:30pm, Thurs. 6:30am-7pm, Fri. 7:30am-3pm), a great place to find maps and information. As you go by the big parade ground, or “deck,” be sure to check out the beautiful sculpture re-creating the famous photo of Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima. A short ways ahead is the Parris Island Museum (Bldg. 111, 111 Panama St., 843/228-2951, www.parrisislandmuseum.com, daily 10am-4:30pm, free).
The Spanish built Santa Elena directly on top of the original French settlement, Charlesfort. They then built two other settlements, San Felipe and San Marcos. The Santa Elena-Charlesfort site, now on the circa-1950s depot golf course, is a National Historic Landmark. Many artifacts are viewable at the nearby clubhouse-interpretive center (daily 7am-5pm, free). You can take a self-guided tour; to get to the site from the museum, continue on Panama Street and take a right on Cuba Street. Follow the signs to the golf course and continue through the main parking lot of the course.
To make the 15-minute drive to Parris Island from Beaufort, take Ribault Road south, which turns into U.S. 21. Continue through and out of Port Royal and follow the signs for the Parris Island Gateway.
S Hunting Island State Park
Rumored to be a hideaway for Blackbeard himself, the aptly named Hunting Island was indeed for many years a notable hunting preserve, and its abundance of wildlife remains to this day. The island is one of the East Coast’s best birding spots and also hosts dolphins, loggerheads, alligators, and deer. Thanks to preservation efforts by President Franklin Roosevelt and the Civilian Conservation Corps, however, the island is no longer for hunting but for sheer enjoyment. And enjoy it people do, to the tune of one million visitors per year.
Hunting Island State Park
A true family-friendly outdoor adventure spot, Hunting Island State Park (2555 Sea Island Pkwy., 866/345-7275, www.huntingisland.com, winter daily 6am-6pm, during daylight saving time daily 6am-9pm, $5 adults, $3 children) has something for everyone—kids, parents, and newlyweds. Yet it still retains a certain sense of lush wildness—so much so that it doubled as Vietnam in the movie Forrest Gump.
At the north end past the campground is the island’s main landmark, the historic Hunting Island Light, which dates from 1875. Although the lighthouse ceased operations in 1933, a rotating light—not strong enough to serve as an actual navigational aid—is turned on at night. While the 167-step trek to the top (donation $2 pp) is strenuous, the view is stunning.
At the south end of the island is a marsh walk, nature trail, and a fishing pier complete with a cute little nature center. Hunting Island’s three miles of beautiful beaches also serve as a major center of loggerhead turtle nesting and hatching, a process that begins around June as the mothers lay their eggs and culminates in late summer and early fall, when the hatchlings make their daring dash to the sea. At all phases the turtles are strictly protected, and while there are organized events to witness the hatching of the eggs, it is strictly forbidden to touch or otherwise disturb the turtles or their nests. Contact the park ranger for more detailed information. The tropical-looking inlet running through the park is a great place to kayak or canoe.
Getting to Hunting Island couldn’t be easier—just take the Sea Island Parkway (U.S. 21 East) about 20 minutes beyond Beaufort and you’ll run right into it.
S ACE Basin
Occupying pretty much the entire area between Beaufort and Charleston, the ACE Basin—the acronym signifies its role as the collective estuary of the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers—is one of the most enriching natural experiences the country has to offer.
live oak trees in the ACE Basin
The ACE Basin’s three core rivers, the Edisto being the largest, are the framework for a matrix of waterways crisscrossing its approximately 350,000 acres of salt marsh. It’s the intimate relationship with the tides that makes the area so enjoyable, and also what attracted so many plantations throughout its history (canals and dikes from the old paddy fields are still visible throughout). Other uses have included tobacco, corn, and lumbering.
While the ACE Basin can in no way be called “pristine,” it’s a testament to the power of nature that after 6,000 years of human presence and often intense cultivation, the basin manages to retain much of its untamed feel. The ACE Basin is so big that it is actually divided into several parts for management purposes under the umbrella of the ACE Basin Project (www.acebasin.net), a task force begun in 1988 by the state of South Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and various private firms and conservation groups. The project is now considered a model for responsible watershed preservation techniques in a time of often rampant coastal development. A host of species, both common and endangered, thrive in the area, including wood storks, alligators, sturgeon, loggerheads, teals, and bald eagles.
About 12,000 acres of the ACE Basin Project comprise the Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge (8675 Willtown Rd., 843/889-3084, www.fws.gov/acebasin, grounds year-round daily dawn-dusk, office Mon.-Fri. 7:30am-4pm, free), run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The historic 1828 Grove Plantation House is in this portion of the basin and houses the refuge’s headquarters. Sometimes featured on local tours of homes, it’s one of only three antebellum homes left in the ACE Basin. Surrounded by lush, ancient oak trees, it’s really a sight in and of itself.
This section of the refuge, the Edisto Unit, is about an hour’s drive from Beaufort. It is almost entirely composed of paddies from the area’s role as a rice plantation before the Civil War. To get to the Edisto Unit of the Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, take U.S. 17 to Highway 174 (going all the way down this route takes you to Edisto Island) and turn right onto Willtown Road. The unpaved entrance road is about two miles ahead on the left. There are restrooms and a few picnic tables.
You can also visit the two parts of the Combahee Unit of the refuge, which offers a similar scene of trails among impounded wetlands along the Combahee River, with parking; it’s farther west near Yemassee. The Combahee Unit is about 30 minutes from Beaufort. Get here by taking a left off U.S. 17 onto Highway 33. The larger portion of the Combahee Unit is soon after the turnoff, and the smaller, more northerly portion is about five miles up the road.
About 135,000 acres of the entire ACE Basin falls under the protection of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (www.nerrs.noaa.gov/acebasin). The DNR also runs two Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs): Donnelley WMA (843/844-8957, www.dnr.sc.gov, year-round Mon.-Sat. 8am-5pm,. free) and Bear Island WMA (843/844-8957, www.dnr.sc.gov, Feb. 1-Oct. 14 Mon.-Sat. dawn-dusk, free), both of which provide rich opportunities for birding and wildlife observation.
Recreation
KAYAKING
You can put in at the ramp at the Lady’s Island Marina (73 Sea Island Pkwy., 843/522-0430) just across the bridge from Beaufort. Hunting Island State Park (2555 Sea Island Pkwy., 866/345-7275, www.huntingisland.com, winter daily 6am-6pm, during daylight saving time daily 6am-9pm, $5 adults, $3 children) has a wonderful inlet that is very popular with kayakers.
A good service for rentals and knowledgeable guided tours of the ACE Basin is Outpost Moe’s (843/844-2514, www.geocities.ws/outpostmoe), where the basic 2.5-hour tour costs $40 per person, and an all-
day extravaganza through the basin is $80. Moe’s provides lunch for most of its tours. Another premier local outfitter for ACE Basin tours is Carolina Heritage Outfitters (U.S. 15 in Canadys, 843/563-5051, www.canoesc.com), which focuses on the Edisto River trail. In addition to guided tours ($30) and rentals, you can camp overnight in their cute tree houses ($125) along the kayak routes. They load you up with your gear and drive you 22 miles upriver, then you paddle downriver to the tree house for the evening. The next day, you paddle yourself the rest of the way downriver back to home base.
To have a drier experience of the ACE Basin from the deck of a larger vessel, try ACE Basin Tours (1 Coosaw River Dr., Beaufort, 843/521-3099, www.acebasintours.com, Mar.-Nov. Wed. and Sat. 10am, $35 adults, $15 children), which will take you on a three-hour tour in the 40-passenger Dixie Lady. To get to their dock from Beaufort, take Carteret Street over the bridge to St. Helena Island, and then take a left on Highway 802 East (Sam’s Point Rd.). Continue until you cross Lucy Point Creek; the ACE Basin Tours marina is on your immediate left after you cross the bridge.
The state of South Carolina has conveniently gathered some of the best self-guided kayak trips at www.acebasin.net/canoe.html.
GOLF
Golf is much bigger in Hilton Head than in the Beaufort area, but there are some local highlights. The best-regarded public course in the area, and indeed one of the best military courses in the world, is Legends at Parris Island (Bldg. 299, Parris Island, 843/228-2240, www.mccssc.com, $30). Call in advance for a tee time.