Some 30 years ago John Mellencamp discovered Daufuskie Island, a relatively unspoiled spot in South Carolina, just across the border from Savannah, Georgia. One episode of the National Geographic Channel television series Diggers (S2, E10; 2013) featured professional treasure hunters Tim Saylor and George "KG" Wyant visiting Daufuskie seeking pirates' gold. Most of the Historic District is traversed by historic winding dirt roads lined with Live Oaks, most of them looking very much the same as they did at least a century ago, including School Road, Benjie's Point, Prospect Road, Bryant Road, and Pappy's Landing. This was followed by the Bloody Point Range Lights in 1883 built to assist ships approaching the Savannah River entrance. To the northeast is the Haig Point Club, a private, member-owned residential club with around 150 year-round residents and over 225 homes. The custom-made dining table is topped with a whale-rib sculpture from, Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp at his retreat on South Carolina's Daufuskie Island; he stenciled the wall with lyrics from one of his songs. Daufuskie Peach (est 2014): Jan Crosby draws inspiration from the sights and smells of Daufuskie Island to create her home-made soaps and body products. [5] Prior to European arrival numerous Indian tribes inhabited the Lowcountry and islands. However, there continues to be a strong residential community in both areas, and a robust vacation business with Melrose beach cottages and Bloody Point Villas. Known as the Gullah people, their rich culture, deeply influenced by their African heritage, remained largely isolated until the 1970s. A: All but one of the graveyards on Daufuskie Island are right by the sea. The novel was also produced as The Water Is Wide in 2006, a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie starring Jeff Hephner. The decorator headed to Daufuskie "to let the house tell me what it needed," she says. This article originally appeared in the March 2014 issue of Architectural Digest. Gibson played off the peaked windows by incorporating their shape into the metal base of the 27-foot-long table that bisects the living hall. Rowland, Lawrence S.; Moore, Alexander; Rodgers, George C.: Burn, Chap. Early in the Civil War, Union forces occupied the Beaufort-area islands. Livability helps people find their perfect places to live, and we’ve got everything you need to know to decide if moving to Daufuskie Island, SC is right for you. On Daufuskie, these students take a small school bus to the ferry. During the improvements on the Daufuskie house, Mellencamp inquired if she had selected any art for an unusually large expanse of wall in the living hall. "John really uses this place now," Gibson notes. Accessible only by ferry or barge, and with a full-time population of just over 400, Daufuskie Island encompasses a rich cultural experience, with environmental preserves, private communities, resorts, Gullah houses, diverse art galleries and history. The book was made into a feature film, Conrack, starring Jon Voight in 1974. Download the map or pick up a … The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Daufuskie is situated between Hilton Head Island, SC and Savannah, Georgia, with a population of only 400 permanent residents. After the war, Daufuskie's remoteness allowed Gullah culture to survive and flourish through the generations. Nowadays, Daufuskie hosts around 400 full-time residents and 3 private/semi-private communities. Despite this progress and development, the island's historic district has remained untouched to preserve the Gullah culture, and today the entire island is on the National Register of Historic Places. The bald eagle is also one of the creatures found on the island. Most native residents of Daufuskie Island are decendants of freed slaves, who have made their living oystering and fishing for decades. Daufuskie Island has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool, refreshing winters. The Jimmy Buffett song "Prince of Tides" (from his 1988 album Hot Water) laments the development of Daufuskie and loss of the Gullah culture. The industry faced more setbacks as pollution from the Savannah River in the 1950s contaminated the island oyster beds. According to a study conducted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, the island has excellent examples of Gullah homes that have not been altered. While Daufuskie is Mellencamp's refuge, he readily throws open the five guest rooms to friends and family, proof that a once forlorn and overgrown piece of real estate has become absolutely essential. The American Revolution brought divided loyalties to the lowcountry. Colonel Thomas “The Boo” Courvoisie, Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel. All rights reserved. Fascinated by the island's history (until the 1980s it had been inhabited largely by the Gullah, descendants of freed slaves) and enamored of its privacy (it can only be reached by boat), the singer-songwriter purchased several acres on the Atlantic Ocean. The book won Conroy a humanitarian award from the National Education Association and an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. The book recounts Conroy's experiences teaching on the island in 1969. The lowcountry was remote until the mid-20th century, but the isolation of Daufuskie created the perfect climate for the language and manners of the Gullah people to remain remarkably well preserved. The western part of the island is unincorporated land. Things to Do in Daufuskie Island, South Carolina: See Tripadvisor's 29,770 traveler reviews and photos of Daufuskie Island tourist attractions. "Then my kids saw it and laughed at me.". Mellencamp's girlfriend, actress Meg Ryan, however, thought the place had promise, and asked last year, "Why don't you make it as beautiful as it can be?" [34] It is a modern facility with two classrooms, lunchroom and library. Daufuskie Island School is a Beaufort County public school built in 1997. There are 223 male residents living in Daufuskie Island and 222 female residents. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer purchased land on Daufuskie around 30 years ago, but the land sat empty for more than a decade. Due to an influx of tourism, the island requested a greater police presence to monitor visitors in 2018. Native Americans used the meat of the oysters as food and used shells to fashion tools, fertilizers, and tabby. The natives of the island valued the natural abundance of oysters. The students often do their homework or simply nap during the boat ride. Daufuskie Island: An Idyllic Spot With a Stormy History The South Carolina retreat offers golf, nature and history without the crowds of nearby Hilton Head and Savannah. Evidence of a once-thriving Gullah oyster community can still be found throughout the island. [23], From the 1880s the oyster industry flourished on Daufuskie. Take a trip to a place that can only be described as paradise beyond—Daufuskie Island. Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. ", "I meant it as a blessing for the house," Mellencamp says with a grin. It is famous for distilling 8 varieties of the sea island’s most authentic, 100% American, handcrafted rum. [29]. Daufuskie Island Distillery. Massive mounds of shucked oyster shells found on the island stand as testament to the extensive use of oysters on the island by its native residents. One of the best-known chapters of that story involves one of the South’s most famous authors. [22] This activity meant the waterways around Daufuskie, with its critical position between Port Royal and Savannah, became very busy. [7], As early as 1523, Spanish explorers were sailing the southeastern coast of North America in search of potential settlements. Fortunately, he liked what he walked into. Conroy’s fortunes were reversed when The Water is Wide, a memoir about his time as a teacher on Daufuskie Island, became a critical and commercial hit in 1972. Beaufort County provides a subsidized ferry that transports residents. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in January. [19] Three of the best-preserved, tabby-walled single slave dwellings still standing in Beaufort County can be found today at Haig Point.[20]. [26] Electricity came to the island in 1953 and telephones in 1972;[27] however, with few opportunities for work, the population shrank to less than a hundred people, leaving a legacy of rich Gullah history. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. © 2021 Condé Nast. Mellencamp filled the rooms with odds and ends from storage, but the home, like the property before it, "just kind of sat fallow," he says. About 100 residents live in a variety of accommodations, from cabins and quaint small houses to beautiful waterfront homes with private docks. Without a bridge to the mainland, and only a few paved roads, Daufuskie Island is steeped in a simpler time. This Union presence caused white plantation owners to flee, leaving property and slaves behind. The island was named a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places due to its Gullah and Civil War history. There are also several private companies that provide 25-30 minute water taxi services to the island. Culturally and linguistically these tribes were of Muskogean stock. "When I said, 'Not yet,' he got his stencils out," the designer recalls. The Haig Point Club has its own private ferry service. The students are in multigrade classrooms: pre-K through 2nd grade and 3rd grade through 5th grade. This hardwood species, unique to the southeastern coast, was prized by shipbuilders for its strength and resistance to rot, as well as its naturally curved limbs. But the land sat empty for more than a decade. Photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe documented the people and culture of Daufuskie from 1977 to 1981, during a period when fewer than 84 permanent residents lived on the island. It was during this period of early exploration that Spanish settlers introduced their distinctive Iberian horses to the Southeastern coast. Travel + Leisure magazine designated restaurant Marshside Mama's, at the County Landing on Daufuskie, as one of the "Ten Best Beach Bars" in America.[37]. Mellencamp often paints in a studio located on the second floor; nearly 40 of his works were recently exhibited by the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, in a show that will travel in the fall to the Museum of Art–DeLand, Florida. [21], Following the Civil War the farming, mining, and timber industries were re-established in Beaufort County and the lowcountry. "There is always something going on in that big brain of his," she says. One of Gibson's first clients was Elton John, so she is especially comfortable working with creative powerhouses. Daufuskie Island was made famous by late author Pat Conroy, in his memoir, The Water is Wide. Daufuskie Island is a sea island located off the South Carolina coast, approximately one nautical mile west of Hilton Head Island’s Harbour Town. Rock musician John Mellencamp built a house on the island and uses it as a retreat.[30]. Driven out by the Yemassee Indians, allies of the Spanish, we see the rumblings of a great conflict leading to the Bloody Battles on Daufuskie. Daufuskie received the nickname "Little Bermuda" during the Revolution due to the residents' Loyalist sentiments. There are descendants of the Gullah people living in this area on land which they have owned since just after the Civil War. The USS Constitution—"Old Ironsides"—was constructed with live oak. But she remained acutely aware that the house serves as laboratory for one man's rampant creativity. For thousands of years early humans called Daufuskie Island home, as evidenced by ancient piles of discarded oyster shells exhibiting pottery shards from all phases of the hunter gathering period. Our website, archdigest.com, offers constant original coverage of the interior design and architecture worlds, new shops and products, travel destinations, art and cultural events, celebrity style, and high-end real estate as well as access to print features and images from the AD archives. Accessible only by boat, Daufuskie houses a population of about 200-500 permanent residents, depending on who you ask. The book recalls his time spent as a teacher in the little school house on the Island, (called Yamacraw Island at that time) and his experience with the local islanders, their culture and history. Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina. This section of the island received federal designation as a historic district in the early 1980s. Our landmark artisans have received national recognition for their hard-to-get-to galleries with island … The island is home to the prestigious Haig Point community, a private and exclusive residential community with its own ferry service to Hilton Head, 29-hole championship golf courses, an equestrian center, a tennis center, a multi-purpose clubhouse, and a waterfront restaurant and pool. The island is home to the First Union African Baptist Church, which is Daufuskie's oldest building, and is still in use today as a place of worship. Please be aware that when you purchase your ferry ticket you are entering a contractual agreement with the Daufuskie Island Ferry to follow its policies. Like a lot of traditional, centuries-old communities, Daufuskie never filed easements or took public possession of most of its roads. 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