| A Historic Perspective
Enfolded by the sea, Daufuskie Island has long lay shrouded in mystery. A Creek Indian word, Daufuskie means, "land with a point." Once the fertile hunting and fishing grounds of the Yemassee Indians, later the planters' exclusive domain, Daufuskie has been home to an ever-changing cast of characters.
What many people don't know is that Daufuskie was once a thriving, bustling center of activity, eclipsing its now more famous neighbor, Hilton Head Island, as the glittering jewel in the necklace of Low Country Sea Islands. In the nineteenth century, steamships from Savannah carrying hundreds of passengers called regularly at its piers. The silky Sea Island cotton grown on the Island’s eleven plantations was shipped around the world, and its fine homes and elegant parties were the envy of the region.
While the Civil War dampened Daufuskie's fortunes, the Island miraculously rebounded, only to be laid low by a more powerful and unforgiving invader- the boll weevil - which destroyed Daufuskie's cotton plantations for good. Later, oystering replaced cotton as the Island's main industry, but that too would end when the oyster beds were closed in the 1950's. What was left were the Gullah people, fishermen and farmers, descendants of the Island's original slaves, whose indigenous culture and lilting patois were preserved in the total isolation that was Daufuskie Island.
Today, that rich historic and environmental heritage flavors every facet of Daufuskie Island.
| 1644 |
English Captain William Hilton sails to what is now the South Carolina coast; from his log My Voyage to Carolina Coast 1644 he writes "the air is clear and sweet, the country very pleasant and delightful, we wish that all they, wanting a happy settlement were well transported here." |
| 1664 |
Arrival of Yemassee Indians to Daufuskie Island, replacing the peaceful Cusabo Indians. |
| 1707 |
First known British Land Grant of Daufuskie Island to Thomas Cowte, 15, November. |
| 1715 |
Like the Yemassee, Indian allies of the Spanish are rewarded for raiding English settlements up the coast. During one such raid on Daufuskie, a patrol of English scouts surprises an Indian party near the Southern tip of the Island. The deadly skirmish earns the land a name it holds to this day -- Bloody Point. |
| 1781 |
Daufuskie Tory Loyalists stage an attack on Hilton Head's Skull Creek Plantations. In retaliation, Revolutionary War Patriots of Hilton Head form the Bloody Legion and ambush homes on Daufuskie. |
| 1836 |
John Stoddard marries Mary Mongin, granddaughter of wealthy Daufuskie planter, "Money" Mongin. While on honeymoon in Scotland, they are enchanted by the gardens at Melrose Abbey, Melrose Scotland. |
| 1848 |
Melrose Mansion is completed on the Stoddard-Mongin plantation. |
| 1862 |
Union forces occupy Daufuskie Island. Captain John Monroe spares Melrose Mansion and stations forces to conduct tours. |
| 1881 |
The First Union African Baptist Church is erected. |
| 1893 |
Melrose Mansion withstands the Great Storm of 1893 but the flower gardens are completely destroyed. They were since replanted but not extensively. |
| 1900 |
The early 1900s saw Daufuskie Island at the height of its prosperity. The Island's economy flourishes with the sale of Sea Island cotton, indigo, lumber, farm goods and oysters. |
| 1912 |
Fire destroys Melrose Mansion. |
| 1920 |
While the boll weevil brings an end to the Daufuskie cotton industry, the oyster industry prospers. |
| 1930 |
The Great Depression forces many residents to leave the Island in search of work. Three-hundred residents remain to work the Island's oyster canneries. |
| 1943 |
During World War II, it becomes necessary to guard the shorelines of the east coast. U.S. Coastguardsmen are stationed at Melrose and live in the "Boat House." |
| 1950 |
The pollution of the Savannah River forces the closing of hundreds of oyster canneries in the area. |
| 1971 |
The Stoddard brothers, Dan and Henry III, sell Melrose’s 700 acres. The Stoddard reign of Daufuskie ends. |
| 1974 |
The movie "Conrack" is filmed on the Island. It is based on Pat Conroy's book, The Water is Wide. |
| 1984 |
Haig Point is established by International Paper Realty of SC. |
| 1987 |
Developers establish the private Melrose Club. |
| 1991 |
The Bloody Point Club is established. |
The word DAUFUSKIE is an Indian word and translates as "Sharp Feather." It is actually a combination of two words. "Daufa" which means "feather" and "fuskie" which means "sharp or pointed." To the Indians, it was a "land with a point."
- The size of Daufuskie Island is approximately 2 1/2 miles wide by 5 miles long which is equivalent to 5,000 acres.
- Daufuskie Island is a sea island, not a barrier island. Nearby Hilton Head and Tybee Islands are barrier islands.
- Daufuskie Island is believed to be between 80,000 and 120,000 years old. It has been inhabited almost continually for nearly 4,000 years. Arrowheads have been found on the island that date back 9,000 years.
- It was July 1953 before every resident of Daufuskie Island had electricity. It wasn't until June 10, 1973 that telephone service was first inaugurated on the island.
- There are approximately 300 full-time residents on Daufuskie Island.
- The movie "Conrack," based on Pat Conroy's novel, The Water is Wide, and starring Jon Voight, was filmed almost entirely on Daufuskie Island.
- The congregation of Daufuskie Island's First United African Baptist Church is partially-comprised of the Island's only remaining Gullah descendants.
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